Bruce Power’s Life-Extension Program and Major Component Replacement (MCR) Project continue to progress safely and on schedule as the company refurbishes Units 3-8 in one of Canada’s largest clean energy infrastructure projects.
Recently, the Unit 4 MCR progressed to its removal and replacement series following a strong lead-in after the unit was taken off-line in February to begin its three-year refurbishment. The removal and replacement of major CANDU reactor components includes 480 fuel channels, 960 feeder tubes, eight steam generators, and many other upgrades that will allow Bruce Power to return Unit 4 to service with new reactor components to supply clean energy to the province as demand rises in the decades to come.
Bruce Power’s multi-year Life-Extension Program, scheduled to be completed in 2033, represents the largest private-sector investment in Canada’s nuclear industry and generation infrastructure. Strong performance in the Unit 4 outage lead-in was built on the success of the first completed MCR in Unit 6 and the innovations and performance improvements for Unit 3, which remains on plan to return to service in 2026.
“Along with our partners and skilled tradespeople, we’re seeing excellent performance as we complete each MCR outage safely, on plan, and to a high-quality standard,” said Eric Chassard, Bruce Power’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Together, we’re working to return these units to service safely and successfully to meet Ontario’s clean energy needs and provide cancer-fighting medical isotopes for patients around the world for decades to come.”
Success stories during the Unit 4 lead-in included the safe and ahead-of-schedule installation of 16 eight-tonne bulkheads, and the fastest defuel in the history of CANDU units.
Shoreline, a joint venture between Aecon and Candu Energy, an AtkinsRéalis company, will begin the Fuel Channel Feeder Replacement (FCFR) program, which sees the removal and replacement of pressure tubes, calandria tubes, and feeders inside the reactor. Skilled tradespeople are using innovative robotic tooling from ATS Automation to improve performance and safety in each successive MCR outage.
“Shoreline and our skilled tradespeople are proud to partner with Bruce Power to deliver these refurbishment outages safely, on time and with quality performance to help power Ontario well into the future,” said Jean-Louis Servranckx, President and CEO of Aecon, on behalf of Shoreline Power Group. “We’re leveraging experience and innovation as our highly trained tradespeople and multidisciplinary teams continue to drive our successful project execution.”
Bruce Power’s refurbishment is Ontario’s largest clean-energy infrastructure project and is unique in that it’s being funded through private investment.
Bruce Power is currently capable of producing 6,550 megawatts (MW) of peak clean energy and aims to increase output to 7,000 MW in the 2030s, following the completion of the MCR program and other Life-Extension projects.
The program and ongoing site operations create and sustain 22,000 direct and indirect jobs annually and contribute approximately $4 billion in annual economic benefits in communities throughout the province, particularly here in the Clean Energy Frontier region of Bruce, Grey and Huron counties.
About Bruce Power
Bruce Power is an electricity company based in Bruce County, Saugeen Ojibway Nation Territory, Ontario. We are powered by our people. Our 4,200 employees are the foundation of our accomplishments and are proud of the role they play in safely delivering clean, reliable nuclear power to families and businesses across the province and cancer-fighting medical isotopes around the world. Bruce Power has worked hard to build strong roots in Ontario and is committed to protecting the environment and supporting the communities in which we live. Formed in 2001, Bruce Power is a Canadian-owned partnership of TC Energy, OMERS, the Power Workers’ Union and The Society of United Professionals. Learn more at www.brucepower.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.
