Bruce Power’s Unit 6 was declared commercially operational today, 39 years to the day of its first in-service date of Sept. 14, 1984.
The renewed unit met all operational and contractual obligations of the company’s agreement with the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to be declared in commercial operation.
The Unit 6 Major Component Replacement outage was completed ahead of schedule, on plan, by a dedicated team of skilled workers and tradespeople who were able to exceed top safety performance for large projects.
“We’re extremely proud of our skilled workers, tradespeople, partners, and employees for coming together as a team and working hard work to return Unit 6 to commercial operation,” said Mike Rencheck, Bruce Power President and Chief Executive Officer.
“Returning this renewed unit to service 39 years after it was originally declared operational is symbolic in that it makes the case for nuclear as the right choice for the people of Ontario in the past and moving forward”. “Ontario’s nuclear industry, supply chain and skilled workforce continues to prove that we’re fully capable of completing large projects on schedule and on budget and that refurbishing our existing assets is the right thing to do to power Ontario forward to a clean energy future.”
Unit 6 was first synchronized to the Ontario’s electricity at 30 per cent power Sept. 8, returning to operation ahead of schedule and for the first time since it was taken off-line in 2020 for a complete overhaul and refurbishment in Bruce Power’s first MCR outage. Bruce Power was safely able to raise its output with approval from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC).
Returning the renewed asset to commercial operation marks the beginning of a new operational life of the unit to provide clean, reliable power to the people of Ontario for more than four decades, a period in which the IESO forecasts the demand for clean energy to more than double.
Unit 6’s production is forecast to result in the avoidance of approximately 2.6 million tCO₂e in emissions from the Ontario electricity grid annually, compared to carbon-emitting energy sources. Over the lifetime of Unit 6, its output is expected to result in the avoidance of over 90.5 million tCO₂e in emissions from the Ontario electricity grid.
Bruce Power’s Unit 3 MCR outage is on track using innovation and efficiencies gained in Unit 6, while plans are in place to refurbish Units 4, 5, 7 and 8 as well over the coming decade. The Life Extension program will allow these assets to operate until 2064 and beyond.
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 cancer-fighting 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.
