William Smith | Chief Operating Officer | Terrestrial Energy
Bio:
Mr. William Smith has 45 years of experience in the energy business, including over 20 years in the nuclear industry at Ontario Hydro and Ontario Power Generation between 1981 and 2002. He worked as a Resident Project Engineer at Bruce and Darlington during the construction and commissioning phases, and subsequently advanced to a senior leadership role as the Vice President of Supply Chain where his responsibilities included all nuclear procurement, materials management, and source surveillance activities.
In 2002, Mr. Smith joined Siemens Canada rising to become the Senior Vice President of Siemens’ energy business in Canada, which included power generation and transmission, oil and gas, and smart technologies across the energy sector. He was responsible for all sales and marketing, manufacturing, service delivery, and project management and successfully built the business into a billion-dollar enterprise.
During Mr. Smith’s tenure in both the private and public sector, he has developed deep experience and capability in major project execution, building team capability and managing external interfaces with clients, suppliers, and regulators. Mr. Smith holds a B. Eng (with Distinction) from Carleton University and an MBA from the Schulich School at York University. He is a P. Eng registered with the Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) and with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA).
Membership Details
Forum: The Open Group Industrial Advanced Nuclear™ Consortium (IANC)
Country: Canada
Membership Level: Associate
Q. How long have you been involved with The Open Group? Since 2026
Q. What do you do, and how long have you been doing it?
We are an advanced nuclear technology company developing the Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) for the last ~13 years. The IMSR has high inherent safety and ~50% greater thermal efficiency than legacy nuclear technology, utilizes low-enriched uranium, and has class-leading capital efficiency. At 822 MWt / 390 MWe, the IMSR can provide power and/or high temperature heat, and its output is sized to support co-located industrial loads (refineries, chemical/petrochemical, smelting, etc.), data centers, and on-grid applications, such as replacing coal plants.
Q. Why did your organization become a Member of The Open Group Industrial Advanced Nuclear™ Consortium (IANC) and what does/will your involvement look like?
We joined the IANC Forum for a host of reasons, including:
Directly collaborate with major global end-users – companies in energy-intensive sectors (petrochemicals, mining, manufacturing) that are actively seeking to integrate advanced nuclear process heat and power into their operations to gain the benefit of clean, reliable heat/power at scale only available through advanced nuclear.
Standardization of Interfaces – opportunity to collaborate on technical standards and business process guides, allowing a more seamless interface across industries.
Regulatory alignment – participate in joint efforts to advocate for streamlined regulatory approach/approvals and permitting processes that enable safe and efficient outcomes.
Reduced time and cost – lower deployment costs and decrease schedule uncertainties through the adoption of open architecture frameworks and risk-appropriate design practices.
Q. How has/will membership in The Open Group benefit you, your organization, and the industry at large?
We expect the standardization that the IANC Forum enables across these industries to improve certainty and to reduce cost, schedule, and overall risk.
Q. Why is it important for other organizations to join The Open Group?
It’s an opportunity for them to provide input into tech specs and processes that could become industry standards, and an opportunity to learn along the way.
Q. What are your hobbies?
Mentoring, taking care of grandchildren and cooking Italian style.
Q. What book are you currently reading?
The Quantum Universe by Brian Cox
Q. What social networks do you belong to?
Q. Any last thoughts?
I look forward to working with the group, as I believe there is great synergy with our technology.
Date Published: July 21, 2026