$80M invested into Cambridge nuclear manufacturer, adds 200 new jobs

The province announced that $80 million has been invested into expanding BWX Technologies' (BWXT) nuclear manufacturing plant in Cambridge on Friday.

"Canada is a world leader when it comes to the development of nuclear technology, providing safe, reliable, affordable electricity — non-emission electricity — to our grid," said Ontario Minister of Energy Todd Smith at a news conference on the BWXT shop floor.

BWXT already has about 1,600 employees in Canada, but alongside new shop space comes a need for new workers, which means about 200 new jobs will be added.

John MacQuarrie, president of commercial operations at BWXT, said in an interview with CBC Kitchener-Waterloo that the vast majority of these workers will be from the United Steelworkers Union, but it isn't limited to just them.

"There's also engineers, project managers, schedulers, planners. You know, all the professional staff that you need to support the workers in this factory," he said.

MacQuarrie said the investment can be broken down into two parts: $50 million to expand the footprint of the facility, and $30 million for new manufacturing equipment.

"It's all conventional steel work in this factory," said MacQuarrie. "A very unique kind of big and heavy manufacturing."

"There are no radioactive materials used here."

Representatives from all three levels of government, including Energy Minister Todd Smith (right) sit on stage in front of one of BWXT's large nuclear steam boilers. (Cameron Mahler/CBC)

MacQuarrie said the products being made in BWXT's Cambridge factory are essentially large boilers.

"They take heat from a reactor and they boil it like a kettle to make steam that turns a turbine, and then you create power, electricity," he said. "We've been making some of these very large components for a long time."

MacQuarrie said the new investment into their Cambridge plant has also opened the company up to opportunities to produce new products to stay in line with current nuclear power technologies.

"The latest generation of nuclear plants are so-called small modular reactors. Their components are a little bit different, similar but a little bit different than what we have made traditionally. And we're already working on those with a number of customers."

The investment at BWXT's Cambridge nuclear manufacturing facility is a part of a larger plan for nuclear energy in Ontario. A press release says the investment by the company builds on existing operations at nuclear stations in Darlington, Bruce and Pickering.

"We're fortunate to be really involved in the nuclear plants here in Ontario, but around the world, too," MacQuarrie said.

Energy Minister Todd Smith said in the press conference that while the investment is meant to support nuclear energy programs in Ontario, BWXT exports their products to Estonia, Poland, Romania, and Czechia, as well as other Canadian provinces. (Cameron Mahler/CBC)

At the press conference, Smith said BWXT is involved in a number of projects outside Ontario's borders. Locations he mentioned include Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Estonia, Poland, Romania, and Czechia.

"We're not really affiliated with any reactor designer. We design and supply components for any of those customers," MacQuarrie said.

Factory expansion

MacQuarrie said that no new land is needed to accommodate the expansion, instead the new addition will be built on top of what is currently a parking lot at BWXT's Cambridge facility.

According to a press release, construction for the expansion is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2024 and the project is estimated to be completed by the middle of 2026.