Bruce Energy has taken one other important step in securing Ontario’s power future with the launch of the Unit 4 Main Element Substitute (MCR).
This newest part within the firm’s Life-Extension Program is predicted to supply clear, dependable power for companies, hospitals, and residents for many years to return. The challenge additionally ensures a continued provide of cancer-fighting medical isotopes for the worldwide healthcare trade.
The three-year Unit 4 outage marks the third MCR at Bruce Energy, following the profitable refurbishments of Items 6 and three. The teachings discovered from these initiatives, together with cutting-edge expertise, are being utilized to enhance effectivity and efficiency within the present and future MCRs.
“Our Life-Extension Program and Major Component Replacement is more than a construction project,” mentioned Eric Chassard, Bruce Energy President and Chief Government Officer. “By completing each of the MCR outages safely, on plan, and to a high-quality standard, we are securing the future of the Bruce site, sustaining our communities, and powering Ontario through a time when electricity demand is growing rapidly.”
Bruce Energy’s $13-billion refurbishment is Canada’s third-largest infrastructure challenge, following British Columbia’s Peace River Web site C hydroelectric challenge and Ontario’s GO Transit growth. It is usually Ontario’s largest clean-energy infrastructure challenge, fully funded by means of non-public funding.
Meantime, the Unit 3 MCR, which started in March 2023, is progressing as scheduled, with the unit anticipated to return to service in 2026. Overlapping MCR outages will proceed on the Bruce web site till 2033, making it one of the crucial in depth nuclear refurbishment efforts ever undertaken worldwide.
“To execute a project of this scale and complexity, it takes an ecosystem of nuclear professionals working together toward a common goal,” mentioned Laurent Seigle, Bruce Energy’s Government Vice-President, Initiatives. “We’re committed to returning these units to service safely and successfully to meet Ontario’s clean energy needs well into the future.”
Bruce Energy has carried out revolutionary new tooling within the Unit 3 MCR, together with the first-ever robotic tooling used on a reactor face wherever on the planet. These technological developments have allowed tradespeople to enhance security, effectivity, and accuracy within the refurbishment course of.
With the Ontario Unbiased Electrical energy System Operator (IESO) predicting a 75 per cent improve in electrical energy demand by 2050, Bruce Energy’s ongoing refurbishments will play a vital position in assembly the province’s rising power wants.
“Under our contract with the IESO, subsequent MCRs are expected to improve on cost and schedule by building on lessons learned and experience,” mentioned Rob Hoare, Vice-President, MCR Execution. “And we’re seeing that happen in real-time on this project. Evolutions that were recently completed on Unit 3 have been assessed and improved on for execution in Unit 4. It’s a testament to the world-class team we have and their commitment to continuous learning, proficiency, and excellence.”
Bruce Energy at present produces 6,550 megawatts (MW) of peak clear power, with output anticipated to exceed 7,000 MW within the 2030s as soon as the MCR program and Life-Extension initiatives are accomplished. These refurbishments will lengthen the operational life of every reactor by 30 to 35 years, making certain steady power manufacturing whereas lowering greenhouse fuel emissions.
This system and ongoing web site operations create and maintain 22,000 direct and oblique jobs yearly, injecting roughly $4 billion into Ontario’s financial system every year. The financial advantages are notably felt in Bruce, Gray, and Huron counties, referred to as the Clear Power Frontier area.
