The refurbishment of Unit 2 at the Darlington nuclear power station has been completed and the reactor reconnected to Ontario’s electricity grid at 100% full power, Ontario Power Generation has announced.

OPG said that with the Candu pressurised heavy water reactor now operating at full capacity, the company is one unit closer to extending the operating life of all four plants at the station and providing “another 30-plus years of clean, low-cost and reliable energy for Ontarians”.

Darlington-2 was the first of the station’s four units to undergo refurbishment in a project that will enable the station to continue operations until 2055. All four units are to be refurbished in a phased CAD12.8bn ($9.3bn, €8bn) project which is scheduled for completion by 2026.