Premier Doug Ford's government has given Ontario Power Generation the green light to start construction on Canada’s first small modular reactor, a new nuclear technology to be built next door to the Darlington power plant.

Ontario is starting to build the first of four new, small nuclear reactors, as Canada seeks to lead the Group of Seven industrialized nations in developing next-generation nuclear technology.

Canada has approved the construction of the first mini-nuclear reactor in the West, beating Britain in the race to approve the technology.