Nuclear Power Demonstration (NPD) nuclear power plant
Retired Canada
Gross capacity
25MW
Nuclear Power Demonstration (NPD) nuclear power plant is a pressurised heavy water reactor unit at Nuclear Power Demonstration (NPD) nuclear power plant in Canada rated at 25 MW gross. It is retired. Commercial operation began 1 Oct 1962.
Specification
| Reactor type | Pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) |
|---|---|
| Model | CANDU |
| Size class | Large |
| Coolant | Heavy water |
| Moderator | Heavy water |
| Gross capacity | 25MW |
| Net capacity (reference) | 22MW |
| Net capacity (design) | 17MW |
| Thermal output | 92MWt |
| Typical enrichment | Natural uranium, 0.71% U-235 |
Ownership & location
| Site | Nuclear Power Demonstration (NPD) nuclear power plant |
|---|---|
| Unit | not stated |
| Country | Canada |
| Owner | AECL100% |
| Operator | Ontario Hydro |
| Coordinates | 46.1867, -77.6578 |
Fuel chain for this unit
Fuel form
Natural uranium dioxide bundles
Enrichment
Natural uranium, 0.71% U-235 no enrichment required
Who makes this assembly
- BWX Technologies CANDU fuel bundles, natural uranium
- Cameco Corporation CANDU fuel bundles, natural uranium
- China North Nuclear Fuel Company CANDU fuel bundles
- KEPCO Nuclear Fuel CANDU fuel bundles
- Nuclear Power Corporation of India PHWR fuel bundles, natural uranium
Upstream
This unit runs on natural uranium, so its fuel chain has no enrichment step at all: mine → mill → conversion → fabrication. That is the shortest fuel chain of any commercial reactor type, and it makes the operator independent of the four organisations that control enrichment worldwide.
Fabricator capability is recorded against reactor type and model line, not against named units —
utilities do not publish fuel contracts. See the fuel chain.
Timeline
- 1 Jan 1958Construction start
- 11 Apr 1962First criticality
- 4 Jun 1962Grid connection
- 1 Oct 1962Commercial operation
- 1 Aug 1987Permanent shutdown
Other CANDU units
3 units worldwide share this model designation.
| Unit | Country | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sellafield (Candu) nuclear power plant 1 | United Kingdom | Cancelled | 740 |
| Sellafield (Candu) nuclear power plant 2 | United Kingdom | Cancelled | 740 |
Sources
- Global Nuclear Power Tracker, Global Energy Monitor, August 2026 release — CC BY 4.0 · retrieved 2026-09-06 · this unit last researched by GEM on 2024-05-08
- GEM.wiki entry (further reading) — CC BY-SA 4.0 — linked, not quoted