Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne Directs $380 Million for Canadian SMR Nuclear Tooling Hubs

OTTAWA — Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne announced on Monday the distribution of $380 million in federal investments through the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) to scale commercial nuclear-grade manufacturing lines, precision pressure vessel forging, and specialized control-system tooling for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) across advanced industrial facilities in Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.

The investment coordinates federal support with Canadian nuclear manufacturing leaders—including BWXT Canada, Cameco, and Westinghouse Canada—to domesticate the fabrication of reactor internals, steam generators, and fuel assemblies for GE Hitachi BWRX-300 and Westinghouse eVinci microreactors destined for domestic deployment and international export.

Anchoring Canada's Global Leadership in the Clean Nuclear Renaissance With global demand for firm zero-emission electricity surging to power industrial manufacturing and AI data centers, factory-fabricated SMRs represent a multi-billion-dollar international export opportunity for Canadian advanced manufacturing.

"Canada was one of the first countries to harness the peaceful power of the atom, and today we are leading the next global nuclear revolution with small modular reactors," Minister François-Philippe Champagne said in Ottawa. "SMRs will provide clean, reliable baseload electricity to power our communities, heavy industries, and remote mining sites. This $380 million investment ensures that the precision components for next-generation nuclear reactors are manufactured right here in Canada by skilled Canadian workers, creating thousands of great careers and driving our clean industrial growth."

Regional Nuclear Manufacturing Allocations The $380 million program finances:

• Ontario Advanced SMR Tooling Hub (Cambridge/Peterborough): $180 million for automated cleanroom assembly lines for reactor pressure vessel internals.
• Quebec Specialized Metallurgy & Containment (Becancour): $110 million for heavy forged steel containment shells and specialized welding robotics.
• Saskatchewan Uranium Fuel Fabrication Center (Saskatoon): $90 million for high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel pellet testing facilities.

Nuclear industry association executives, building trades labor unions, and provincial energy ministers commended the federal awards, highlighting that domestic SMR tooling anchors high-wage manufacturing in Canada.