Bruce Power to start Unit 3 replacement work next year
Bruce Power will start replacement work on its Unit 3 reactor early next year, the electricity operator announced last week.
The agency received approval for the work after the Independent Electricity System Operator verified the company’s plan for the project.
The Unit 3 Major Component Replacement (MCR) Project is the latest step in Bruce Power’s Life-Extension Program, which is one of Canada’s largest private-sector clean energy projects.
Bruce Power says the Unit 3 project will benefit from lessons learned on the Unit 6 MCR, which is currently underway, and other refurbishment projects within the industry. Once the Unit 3 project is completed in 2026, half of the Bruce Power units will be fully refurbished. Units 1 and 2 had their major components replaced and were returned to service in 2012.
“With our Unit 6 MCR progressing well, we are building on those experiences as we prepare for the Unit 3 project,” said Eric Chassard, Bruce Power’s Executive Vice President, Projects and Engineering.
Unit 3 will provide enough electricity annually to power over 800,000 homes in Ontario and ensure the province’s electricity system remains decarbonized. The replacement project is a key element of Ontario’s plan to achieve carbon neutrality.
“Nuclear power is the backbone of Ontario’s electricity system,” said Energy Minister Todd Smith. “The Life-Extension Program at Bruce Power will ensure that Ontario families and businesses have a clean, reliable source of emissions-free electricity, while also supporting tens of thousands of good jobs across the province for decades to come.”
In addition to the MCR, the electricity output from Unit 3 will also continue to be optimized as part of Bruce Power’s Project 2030, which is a multi-year initiative to achieve a Bruce Power site peak of 7,000 Megawatts for the 2030s.
Over 90 percent of Bruce Power’s purchasing takes place in Ontario, and the company’s supply chain supports hundreds of businesses throughout the province. The Life-Extension Program will also create significant, long-term employment for Ontario construction workers.
The Bruce Power Life-Extension Program, which began in January 2016, is comprised of the Major Component Replacements of Units 3-8 as well as an Asset Management Plan which includes the ongoing inspection, maintenance, replacement and refurbishment activities not included in MCRs. Asset Management activities will be executed before, during and after the MCR outages.