Refurbishment of Bruce Power Unit 3 reactor completed ahead of schedule and under budget, province says

An aerial view of the Bruce Power Nuclear Generating Station in Kincardine on Saturday, August 16, 2003. Ontario Power Generation is seeking permission from the Canadian government to permanently store low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste in a rock chamber that would be built more than 2,000 feet below the earth?s surface and less than a mile from Lake Huron.THE CANADIAN PRESS/ J.P. Moczulski

The refurbishment of the Bruce Power Unit 3 reactor has been completed months ahead of schedule and millions of dollars under budget, the province announced Monday.

On Monday in Vaughan, the Ontario government announced the completion of the refurbishment of the Bruce Power Unit 3 reactor at the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station in Kincardine, Ont., representing “the most successful completion and return to service of a nuclear unit in Ontario history.”

According to a press release, the project was completed seven months ahead of schedule and under budget, saving taxpayers $150 million.

The reactor was originally scheduled to return to service in January 2027 and will provide more than 800 megawatts (MW) of reliable, affordable and clean power for more than 35 years, providing enough to power for more than 800,000 homes.

The province says Bruce Power’s operations and Life-Extension Program supports approximately 27,000 direct and indirect Ontario jobs and injects $4 billion into the province’s economy each year.

“When Ontario successfully completed the world’s largest nuclear refurbishment at Darlington ahead of schedule and under budget, critics said it couldn’t be done again. Yet again, we are proving them wrong as we delivered a record-setting refurbishment under budget and seven months ahead of schedule,” said Minister of Energy and Mines Stephen Lecce.

The refurbishment of Unit 3 replaced key components such as fuel channels, feeder tubes, and steam generators, and marked a significant step in nuclear innovation with the first robotic tools used ever on a reactor face to refurbish a CANDU reactor.

In addition, the province says the project also set a record for calandria tube removal, completing it 11 days ahead of schedule.

The Bruce Power Life-Extension Program will refurbish six reactors, extending the operating life of the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station through 2064. Once at full power, the refurbished reactor will generate enough electricity to power a city the size of Brampton, while helping Ontario to meet electricity demand forecasted to grow by up to 90 per cent by 2050, the province adds.

“Ontario is cementing our position as a tier-one nuclear jurisdiction with a plan to put 150,000 Canadians to work, with ‘Made in Canada’ stamped on over 90 per cent of our spend. Backed by the best workers, engineers and tradespeople anywhere in the world, we’re delivering the reliable, affordable and clean power needed to keep our economy strong and more self reliant.”

One of the largest operating nuclear sites in the world, Bruce Power’s refurbishment of Unit 3 is part of an ongoing refurbishment of six of the facility’s nuclear reactors.

The project follows the successful refurbishments of the Darlington and Pickering nuclear generating stations, and the ongoing Bruce C project, which will make Bruce the largest nuclear generating facility on the planet once complete.

“With Unit 3 now back in service and providing safe, clean, and reliable electricity to the province, we continue to demonstrate that large-scale nuclear projects in Ontario can be delivered safely, efficiently, and with real benefits for ratepayers,” said Bruce Power Eric Chassard. “This achievement reflects the dedication of our workforce, our skilled trades partners, and the strength of our made-in-Canada nuclear industry.”