Bruce Power successfully completed loading fuel into the Unit 6 reactor, keeping the Major Component Replacement (MCR) Project on track to resume the production of clean, reliable energy and cancer-fighting medical isotopes later this year.
Operations and Maintenance crews loaded 5,760 fuel bundles into the reactor core, safely completing the task ahead of schedule. Each fuel bundle contains 37 fuel rods, which are packed with Canadian-made uranium oxide pellets from Bruce Power partner Cameco. One bundle produces clean electricity that is equivalent to 400,000 kg of coal or 400,000 cubic metres of natural gas.
The construction phase of the Unit 6 MCR was considered complete earlier in May, and the company is now focused on returning it to service. The refurbished unit is the first of six that Bruce Power and its partners will refurbish between 2020 and 2033, while Unit 3’s MCR began in March.
“The safe completion of the fuel load was a major step in returning Unit 6 to service,” said James Scongack, Bruce Power’s Vice President, Bruce B. “The excellent work our crews are doing today will go a long way to securing Ontario’s clean energy future as our refurbished units will provide a reliable source of carbon-free energy for decades to come.”
The privately funded investment into Units 3-8 will extend the life of the site through 2064 and is Ontario’s largest clean-energy infrastructure project, supporting climate change targets and future clean energy needs.
Unit 3 was taken offline March 1 for defueling, with bulkhead installation and the Primary Heat Transport system drain and dry as the next steps in the project prior to starting construction activity, which begins with major component disassembly later this quarter.
Bruce Power’s Life-Extension Program will generate billions in annual economic benefits in communities throughout the province. It directly and indirectly supports 22,000 jobs annually and injects $4 billion into the province’s economy each year.
About Bruce Power
Bruce Power is an electricity company based in Bruce County, 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 life-saving 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.
