A $ 20.9 billion Canada ($ 15.1 billion) plan to build a new, smaller type of nuclear power plant, Canada approved on Thursday.

Specifically, Ontario Power Generation Inc. He received approval for the construction of the first of a total of four nuclear power stations scheduled to be manufactured by GE Vernova Inc. reactors, according to a statement issued on Thursday.

The announcement followed the decision of the Canadian Nuclear Energy Regulatory Body to issue a construction permit for the so -called small hinged reactor to the Darlington site planned by the company.

Interest in the use of nuclear power has been steadily increasing around the world, as technology companies and governments see fission as a source of stable, clean energy that can help meet the increasing electricity needs.

The small hinged reactors (SMRS) aims to be produced in factories and to be assembled on the spot, a method that their advocates argue that it will ultimately prove to be cheaper and faster than the construction of conventional reactors.

For the time being, however, just a handful of smrs have been completed and they are in Russia and China.

The unit in Darlington will be the fall to be built in a country owned by the Seven group (G7).

“By 2050 we will need 75% more energy,” said Steve Lecce, Ontario’s Energy Minister and Mine, at a press conference on Thursday from Darlington’s premises. “If we do not make this important and decisive move, our future, our economy – they could have a serious impact.”

This first unit is expected to cost $ 6.1 billion in Canada, but the cost for the next reactors is expected to be reduced as the company will gain more and more know -how.

GE Vernova has seen its share price be more than doubled in the last year, as the growing demand for energy due to the operation of more and more data centers and new factories, has made the gases of sought after, utility and technology companies.

The company has also invested in its Ge Hitachi nuclear unit, spending $ 50 million on a production unit in North Carolina and SMRS growth.

Ontario Power signed an agreement in 2023 with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy on the development of the BWRX-300 SMR at Darlington’s premises. The unit has a production capacity of about 300 megawatts, compared to traditional nuclear reactors that have about three times greater production capacity.