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Bruce Power celebrates 10-year anniversary of Unit 4 restart

 

Tiverton, Ontario: Celebrating the tenth anniversary of the return to service of the 750 MW Unit 4 on October 7, Bruce Power took the opportunity to highlight its upbeat business model and key accomplishments that have allowed it to reach its current level of success. Bruce Power officials underscored that the company “continues to put innovation to work to realize the full potential of the Bruce Power site.”

Bruce Power President and CEO Duncan Hawthorne explains the inner workings of a nuclear facility’s Main Control Room to Minister of Energy Hon. Bob Chiarelli during the Minister’s tour of Bruce A on October 7.

          Following a tour of the Bruce Power site, Ontario’s Minister of Energy, Hon. Bob Chiarelli, said, “it was clear to me what an incredible amount of innovation and work has gone into the revitalization of the Bruce Power site, which has contributed to both system reliability and the phase out of coal in Ontario. … Bruce Power and the Government of Ontario have a strong partnership, securing private investment in public assets, and its Ontario’s ratepayers who benefit from the reliable, affordable electricity from this site.”

Bruce Power President and CEO Duncan Hawthorne shows Minister of Energy Hon. Bob Chiarelli the Unit 4 turbine generator from above, during a tour of Bruce A on October 7, the 10th anniversary of Unit 4’s return to service.

          The renewal of Bruce A, which includes the return of Units 3 and 4 a decade ago and the recent refurbishments of Units 1 and 2, as well as the continued modernization of Bruce B, have been highly significant for the Canadian nuclear industry as the experience has proven that revitalization is a viable proposition and laid the groundwork for future refurbishments in the province.

Bruce Power President and CEO Duncan Hawthorne explains the inner workings of a nuclear facility’s Main Control Room to Minister of Energy Hon. Bob Chiarelli during the Minister’s tour of Bruce A on October 7.

          “Bruce Power did things during these projects that had never been done before,” stresses Bruce Power CEO Duncan Hawthorne. “That’s what pioneers do – they take a chance and use creative thinking to tackle issues. The result is that, over the past 10 years, Unit 4 has consistently been one of the top CANDU units in the world, while Units 1-3 and 5-8 continue to operate to an incredibly high standard.”

Six low-pressure turbine generator rotors were delivered via barges to Bruce A in September, and will be installed during future planned outages in Units 2 and 3. The rotors, which combined to weigh 816,000 lbs., were safely moved from the barges by a 600-ton crane and transported into the Bruce A station. The new turbines will add 40 years of life to the generators in Units 2 and 3, ensuring clean, reliable and low-cost electricity will flow from these units to the people of Ontario for generations to come. This project was successfully completed in Units 1 and 4 recently. “By investing another 0 million into Bruce A, we are renewing our commitment to be the most trusted provider of carbon-free electricity in the province,” said Jeff Phelps, Vice President, Project Management and Construction. “Bruce Power nuclear is the most reliable form of clean electricity in the province, and by continuously improving the performance of equipment such as our generators, Bruce A’s units will continue to perform admirably and allow the government of Ontario to reach its goal of closing the province’s coal plants.”

          Over the past 10 years, Bruce Power has injected $7 billion into Ontario’s economy, and as part of its 2040 vision, plans to invest $1 billion a year over the next 15 years to ensure its remaining units continue to provide electricity for generations to come, Hawthorne added.

          See also “Bruce Power shares its vision ” IPPSO FACTO, August 2013.