Media Centre

Committed to open and timely communications

Bruce Power Media Centre

Bruce Power is committed to open and timely communications. Here you will find all current and archived media releases dating back to our formation in May 2001.

Our Media Centre also offers downloads of photography and informational reports for appropriate use in media stories.

Need information on how nuclear energy is created? Download our Guide to Bruce Power.

Traffic back to normal on Bruce Power site

TIVERTON, ON – January 24, 2012 – Traffic was temporarily diverted at Bruce Power yesterday, but was back to normal as of last evening, after some roads were closed temporarily as a precautionary measure.

During a routine transfer, a truck travelling from the Bruce B generating station to Bruce A activated a radiation monitor in the receiving area at Bruce A. As part of its investigation, the company diverted traffic temporarily to allow for monitoring of the route taken by the truck. As expected, the route was clear.

Initial examination of the shipment confirmed a protective device performed its function and there was no release of radiation above regulatory limits.

While this event is not reportable, Bruce Power is issuing this statement to address the media attention it has attracted.

About Bruce Power
Bruce Power is a partnership among Cameco Corporation, TransCanada Corporation, BPC Generation Infrastructure Trust, a trust established by the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, the Power Workers’ Union and The Society of Energy Professionals.

Unit 8 taken offline

TIVERTON, ON – Jan. 16, 2012 – Unit 8 at the Bruce B generating station was safely taken offline at 10 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 15, for a 38-day planned maintenance outage.

Units 4, 5, 6, and 7 remain at high power, while Unit 3 is in the midst of a 160-day planned maintenance outage.

About Bruce Power
Bruce Power is a partnership among Cameco Corporation, TransCanada Corporation, BPC Generation Infrastructure Trust, a trust established by the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, the Power Workers’ Union and The Society of Energy Professionals.

For further information, please contact:

John Peevers – 519-361-6583 – john.peevers@brucepower.com

24-hour Duty Media Officer - 519-361-6161

A successful, transitional year for Bruce Power

TIVERTON, ON – December 23, 2011 – It was a busy year on the Bruce Power site.

In 2011, many important programs, including Restart, made great advancements, while hundreds of millions of dollars was invested into the operating units through planned maintenance outages. These outages, which created hundreds of jobs regionally and resulted in an immeasurable infusion of cash into our local economies through visiting contractors, increase the reliability of our units and result in the safe, reliable operation of Units 3-8, which performed at their peak for the majority of the year.

Bruce Power, which hired over 340 new full-time employees in 2011, also donated $1.4 million to community initiatives, while employees and union partners also rallied to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the United Way of Bruce Grey, and relief efforts in Goderich, Japan and northern Ontario.

“I’m extremely proud of the accomplishments of every employee at Bruce Power this year,” said Duncan Hawthorne, President and CEO. “Our Restart project continues to be on track to return Units 1 and 2 to service, while Units 3 through 8 experienced strong, sustained operations in 2011, creating safe, affordable, clean, reliable energy for the people of Ontario.”

Top 11 Bruce Power accomplishments of 2011

  1. Generated about a quarter of Ontario’s electricity through safe, reliable operations and providing ratepayers with dependable, affordable electricity to their homes, businesses, schools, hospitals and farms.
  2. Units 1 and 2 return to operations program achieved major milestones with fuel loading completed on both Units 1 and 2.
  3. Announced $500 million of continued investment in the site’s operating units to ensure safe, reliable operations the province can count on.
  4. Continued investment in our people with 340 new full-time employees and the creation of hundreds of jobs through our ongoing outage investment program.
  5. Over $2 million donated from the company, employees and contractors to important community initiatives, including relief efforts in Goderich, Japan and northern Ontario, Easter Seals Ontario, United Way of Bruce Grey, Unity for Autism, Wounded Warriors and for fellow employees experiencing family emergencies, while also giving to our local food banks and Christmas Hamper programs.
  6. Enhancing our industry leading emergency response capability through the formation of the Emergency and Protective Services division, bringing 400 full-time security and emergency services staff under the same umbrella. The Nuclear Response Team also won its fourth consecutive international competition, while a group of firefighters ranked at a national competition.
  7. Named one of the 50 Most Engaged Workplaces in Canada and one of Canada’s 10 most outstanding employers for commitment to young people.
  8. Living our Number 1 value of ‘Safety First’ with strong performance across site and the Bruce A Restart project reaching 15 million hours worked without an acute lost-time injury.
  9. Bruce A and B achieved a capacity factor of approximately 90 per cent.
  10. Bruce A Units 3 and 4 had their strongest performance since returning to service with Unit 4 surpassing its previous record run of 267 days – its strongest performance in Bruce Power’s 10-year history.
  11. Bruce B also achieved strong performance marking Bruce Power’s 10 years of operation. Unit 7 reached its second longest run of 438 days and Unit 8 reached 532 days of continuous operations – both reached these milestones before planned maintenance activities.

About Bruce Power
Bruce Power is a partnership among Cameco Corporation, TransCanada Corporation, BPC Generation Infrastructure Trust, a trust established by the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, the Power Workers’ Union and The Society of Energy Professionals.

For further information, please contact:

John Peevers – 519-361-6583 – john.peevers@brucepower.com

24-hour Duty Media Officer - 519-361-6161

Bruce Power achieves safety milestone on Restart

TIVERTON, ON – December 20, 2011 – Bruce A Restart project has achieved another important milestone marking 15 million hours worked without an acute lost-time injury on Ontario’s largest electricity infrastructure project in over 20 years.

“Despite the fact we have been carrying-out Ontario’s largest electricity infrastructure project in nearly two decades, I’m pleased we have been able to do so in a way demonstrating our Number 1 value of Safety First,” said Duncan Hawthorne, President and CEO. “With safety as our top priority, our Restart project continues to progress towards returning Units 1 and 2 to service, which will generate 1,500 megawatts of safe, affordable, clean, reliable energy for the people of Ontario.”

While most Ontarians are enjoying a holiday break, crews will continue to work around the clock to keep the Units 1 and 2 return to service project on track while at the same time carrying out the outage on Unit 3 and generating more than 20 per cent of the province’s power from Units 4 through 8.

Earlier this month, Bruce Power announced Operators had safely installed 5,760 fuel bundles into 480 fuel channels on the reactor face on Unit 1. Demonstrating continuous improvement, the project completed the fuel load on Unit 1 in a week less than it took on Unit 2.

Subject to regulatory approval, Bruce Power expects to achieve first synchronization of Unit 2 to the electrical grid early in the first quarter of 2012 and commence commercial operation late in the quarter. Unit 1 is expected to sync to the grid in the second quarter, with commercial operations beginning during Q3.

About Bruce Power
Bruce Power is a partnership among Cameco Corporation, TransCanada Corporation, BPC Generation Infrastructure Trust, a trust established by the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, the Power Workers’ Union and The Society of Energy Professionals.

For further information, please contact:

John Peevers – 519-361-6583 – john.peevers@brucepower.com

24-hour Duty Media Officer – 519-361-6161

Bruce Power’s Project Management and Construction raises $70,000 for Wounded Warriors

TIVERTON, ON – December 16, 2011 – Bruce Power’s Project Management and Construction (PMC) division, along with 20 business partners, raised $70,000 for the Wounded Warriors Foundation at a black tie event in Toronto recently.

Nearly 500 people attended the PMC Charity Christmas Gala, including 30 military couples. Two Wounded Warriors and two military heroes were also honoured, and all received a standing ovation from those in attendance. Many high-ranking Canadian military officials were also there to meet the event’s sponsors and show support for both the Wounded Warriors Foundation and our soldiers.

“Bruce Power and the Project Management and Construction division understand the importance of supporting military families, who have needs due to conditions of their service to our country,” said John Sauger, Bruce Power Executive Vice President, PMC. “The Wounded Warriors Foundation does an incredible service to Canadian Forces members and veterans by providing treatment for both visible and non-visible injuries sustained in the line of duty, and we are honoured to support them in any way possible.”

Since it began in 2006, the Wounded Warriors Foundation has been an instrument of positive change and hope for veterans and their loved ones. Its initial project established a ‘Comfort Fund for Wounded Soldiers’ while recuperating in hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, and has grown to host scores of individual support projects, such as the establishment of a hand-up program and outreach programs to homeless veterans.

Learn more about the organization at www.woundedwarriors.ca.

About Bruce Power
Bruce Power is a partnership among Cameco Corporation, TransCanada Corporation, BPC Generation Infrastructure Trust, a trust established by the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, the Power Workers’ Union and The Society of Energy Professionals.

For further information, please contact:

John Peevers – 519-361-6583 – john.peevers@brucepower.com

24-hour Duty Media Officer – 519-361-6161

Bruce Power will not proceed with nuclear option in Alberta

PEACE RIVER, ALTA – Dec. 12, 2011 – Bruce Power has decided it will no longer advance the option for a new nuclear plant in Alberta that has been under consideration by the company since 2007.

“Throughout our existence at Bruce Power we’ve looked at a number of potential business development opportunities,” said Duncan Hawthorne, Bruce Power’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We’ve decided the new nuclear option in Alberta is not something our company will be progressing further.”

When Units 1 and 2 return to service in 2012, Bruce Power, Canada’s only private nuclear power generating station, will operate the largest nuclear facility in the world, its eight units producing a quarter of Ontario’s electricity and half of the nuclear power in Ontario.

“Innovative businesses develop and consider new opportunities, but we’ve made a business decision to continue to put our full focus on the safe, reliable operations and ambitious investment program on our Bruce site,” Hawthorne said.

Since late-2007, when Bruce Power acquired Energy Alberta, the company has become known in Alberta and Peace Country, developing and evaluating the possibility of building a new nuclear facility to power Alberta’s growing economy.

“I’d like to thank the many people in Peace Country who stood with us to investigate an option for Alberta’s energy future and for welcoming us into your community,” Hawthorne said. “I have no doubt there will come a day when nuclear will have a place in a balanced supply mix in Alberta.”

The Alberta government also opened the door to considering the nuclear option, under some conditions, following a public consultation process throughout the province. After extensive analysis and environmental studies, Bruce Power also identified an ideal site.

“There is no question, the option for a new nuclear facility in Peace Country and in Alberta is a strong one and will be an important consideration moving forward,” Hawthorne said. “Over the last several years, we’ve had strong support from a number of elected officials and citizens in the community and that support continued to grow as the facts about nuclear power became known both in this community and throughout Alberta.”

Bruce Power will continue to work with its investors and the Ontario Power Authority on the feasibility of securing 6,300 megawatts (MW) from the Bruce site following the successful restart of Units 1 and 2 in 2012, which will inject another 1,500 MW of baseload generation into the Ontario market.

Bruce Power honoured for exemplary dedication to students

TIVERTON, ON – December 7, 2011 – Bruce Power has been named one of Canada’s 10 most outstanding employers for its commitment to young people.

The Learning Partnership (TLP), a national charitable organization dedicated to championing a strong public education system in Canada through innovative programs, including the annual Take Our Kids to Work day (TOKW), recognized Bruce Power as a recipient of one of its inaugural ‘Canada’s Outstanding Employer Awards’ today.

“Bruce Power is honoured to receive such a prestigious award from The Learning Partnership,” said Duncan Hawthorne, Bruce Power President and CEO. “We put a lot of effort into holding a successful Take Our Kids to Work day program each year, and feel it is beneficial to not only our local Grade 9 students but also our employees, who don’t have many opportunities to show their family members, first-hand, what a great place Bruce Power is to work.”

The awards were established in conjunction with the organization’s annual TOKW program, of which Bruce Power has supported many times over the past decade by welcoming the Grade 9 students of employees to site for a day of programs, nuclear education, guest speakers, and, when possible, station tours.

Entries were judged on five criteria – participant feedback about the company’s TOKW activities; how the employer promotes the importance of staying in school and pursuing post-secondary studies to students and the community; the amount of creativity and innovation in developing engaging and exciting activities for students on TOKW day; and how the organization supports and explains career choices and the benefits of early career exploration to visiting Grade 9s on TOKW day.

“These companies organize extremely creative and innovative Take Our Kids to Work day programs that truly engage Grade 9 students who visit their workplaces every year,” said Veronica Lacey, TLP’s President and CEO. “Our panel of judges was also very impressed by these employers’ commitment to public education in their communities.”

Other recipients include Alberta Health Services; Cargill Limited, Winnipeg; CBC Maritimes, Halifax; Corus Entertainment, Toronto; ENMAX Corporation, Calgary; PCL Constructors Canada Inc. (Toronto District), Mississauga; Scotiabank, Toronto; Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited; and TransLink/Coast Mountain Bus Company/BCRTC, Burnaby, B.C.

About Bruce Power
Bruce Power is a partnership among Cameco Corporation, TransCanada Corporation, BPC Generation Infrastructure Trust, a trust established by the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, the Power Workers’ Union and The Society of Energy Professionals.

For further information, please contact:

John Peevers – 519-361-6583 – john.peevers@brucepower.com

24-hour Duty Media Officer – 519-361-6161

Bruce Power finishes fuel load in Unit 1

TIVERTON, ON – November 30, 2011 – Bruce Power loaded the final fuel bundle into Unit 1 at the Bruce A generating station today, completing the work safely and in a week less than it took in Unit 2, in July.

“I continue to take great pride in the diligence and craftsmanship of our people and congratulate them on completing this work in such a safe and professional manner,” said Duncan Hawthorne, Bruce Power’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

Operators manually installed 5,760 fuel bundles into 480 fuel channels on the reactor face. A fuel bundle is an assembly of pencil-like tubes, two-feet long containing uranium dioxide pellets. Roughly the size of a fire log, each 22-kilogram bundle can produce enough energy to power 100 homes for a year.

Fuelling the reactor officially moves it from a construction project and into the hands of Operations, said Mike Burke, Station Vice President, Bruce A.

“By completing fuel load in seven fewer days than it took in Unit 2, it reinforces the fact we have learned lessons during this first-of-a-kind Restart project, and we will continue to implement changes that will benefit us moving forward as we become the world’s largest nuclear site,” Mike said.

Subject to regulatory approval, Bruce Power expects to achieve first synchronization of Unit 2 to the electrical grid early in first quarter 2012 and commence commercial operation in late first quarter 2012. Bruce Power expects the first synchronization of Unit 1 to the electrical grid in second quarter 2012 and commercial operations to occur during third quarter 2012.

To watch a video about the fuel loading process, visit our YouTube site at www.youtube.com/brucepower4you, and visit our Community Blog at www.brucepower.com/community.

The Government of Ontario’s Long-Term Energy Plan, released last year, calls for the refurbishment of its nuclear fleet including units at the Bruce Power site. With all eight units operating, the Bruce Power site has the capacity to produce 6,300 megawatts or roughly a quarter of the province’s electricity.

About Bruce Power
Bruce Power is a partnership among Cameco Corporation, TransCanada Corporation, BPC Generation Infrastructure Trust, a trust established by the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, the Power Workers’ Union and The Society of Energy Professionals.

For further information, please contact:

John Peevers- 519-361-6583 – john.peevers@brucepower.com

24-hour Duty Media Officer – 519-361-6161

Bruce Power donates $15,000 to Red Cross relief efforts at Attawapiskat First Nation

TIVERTON, ON – November 29, 2011 – Bruce Power has teamed up with the Canadian Red Cross to donate $15,000 to Attawapiskat First Nation, in northern Ontario.

A state of emergency was declared in the community as many of the 2,000 residents have spent the onset of winter on the shores of Hudson’s Bay living in tents and shacks with no running water.

“It’s tragic that people in a country as prosperous as Canada are living in conditions like those in Attawapiskat,” said Mike Briggs, Manager of First Nation and Métis Relations at Bruce Power. “With the Red Cross now mobilizing in Attawapiskat, we’re confident the community will receive the shelter and basic needs they so rightly deserve.”

Duncan Hawthorne, Bruce Power’s President and CEO, said the company and its employees are always quick to assist communities in need locally, provincially and internationally.

“It is important for us as a company to help those in need whenever possible,” Duncan said. “We are encouraging employees to make a donation at redcross.ca, and hope others come to the aid of our First Nation communities in the far north.”

About Bruce Power
Bruce Power is a partnership among Cameco Corporation, TransCanada Corporation, BPC Generation Infrastructure Trust, a trust established by the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, the Power Workers’ Union and The Society of Energy Professionals.

For further information, please contact:

John Peevers – 519-361-6583 – john.peevers@brucepower.com

24-hour Duty Media Officer – 519-361-6161

Bruce Power completes Unit 5 planned maintenance outage

TIVERTON, ON – November 28, 2011 – Bruce Power’s Unit 5 was returned to service on Nov. 26, 43 days after it was taken offline for a planned maintenance outage.

The company invested $90 million in the unit during the outage, and added about 700 contractors to the Bruce Power workforce at its peak, said Pete Milojevic, Station Vice President, Bruce B.

“Investment in the Unit 5 planned outage is the continuum of the program which ensures we provide safe, reliable power at a competitive cost,” Pete said.

“During the outage, many components of the plant were inspected, overhauled or replaced and all systems underwent complete testing to assure safe and reliable performance of our plant.”

Ken Ellis, Executive Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer, Bruce B, said the $90 million investment in the unit not only ensures its safe, reliable operation for the foreseeable future, but also provided a significant boost to the economy of Bruce County.

“At its peak, the Unit 5 outage employed 700 contractors, many of whom spent considerable time and money in local restaurants, hotels and stores,” Ken said.

“The continued investment in our units and the site is not only beneficial to the future of Bruce Power, but also to the community as a whole.”

About Bruce Power
Bruce Power is a partnership among Cameco Corporation, TransCanada Corporation, BPC Generation Infrastructure Trust, a trust established by the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, the Power Workers’ Union and The Society of Energy Professionals.

For further information, please contact:

John Peevers – 519-361-6583 – john.peevers@brucepower.com

24-hour Duty Media Officer – 519-361-6161