Bruce Nuclear Generating Station

in which it is located, in the former Bruce Township.

The facility was constructed in stages between 1970-1987 by the provincial Crown corporation, Ontario Hydro. In April 1999 Ontario Hydro was split into 5 component Crown corporations with Ontario Power Generation (OPG) taking over all electrical generating stations. In June 2000, OPG entered into a long term lease agreement with private sector consortium Bruce Power to take over operation of the Bruce station. In May 2001, Bruce Power began operations.

The Bruce station is the largest nuclear facility in North America in terms of output and also the second largest nuclear facility in the world, comprising 8 CANDU nuclear reactors located on the eastern shore of Lake Huron, having a total output of 6,232 MW (net) and 7,276 MW (gross) when all units are online. Current output with 6 of the 8 reactors on line is 4,640 MW. The world's largest nuclear generation station is the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant with 8,206 MW gross. The Bruce station has two 500 kV transmission lines going out of it to feed the major load centres in southern Ontario, in addition to three 230 kV lines serving the local area. [cite web |url=http://www.powerauthority.on.ca/Page.asp?PageID=122&ContentID=5363&SiteNodeID=305&BL_ExpandID= |title=The Need for More Transmission in Bruce Region |format=HTML |accessdate=2008-04-18 |publisher=Ontario Power Authority]

The reactors are as follows:

BRUCE A
* BRUCE A 1 (being refurbished)
* BRUCE A 2 (being refurbished)
* BRUCE A 3
* BRUCE A 4

BRUCE B
* BRUCE B 5
* BRUCE B 6
* BRUCE B 7
* BRUCE B 8

In the autumn of 2005, Bruce Power and the Government of Ontario committed to return units 1 and 2 to service, in order to help meet increasing energy demand in the province of Ontario. [cite news |url=http://ogov.newswire.ca/ontario/GPOE/2005/10/17/c1757.html?lang=_e.html |title=Government and Bruce Power Reach Agreement to Restart Nuclear Units |format=HTML |date=2005-10-17 |accessdate=2008-04-18 |publisher=Canadian Ministry of Energy |location=Queen's Park, Ontario] The project was originally estimated to cost $4.25 billion. [cite news |url=http://www.transcanada.com/news/2005_news/2005_10_17.html |title=TransCanada to Invest in $4.25 Billion Bruce Power Restart and Increase Its Interest in Bruce A |format=HTML |date=2005-10-17 |accessdate=2008-04-18 |publisher=Marketwire |location=Calgary, Alberta]

In 2006 and 2007, the restart project was judged to be the largest infrastructure project in Canada by ReNew Canada Magazine. [cite web |url=http://www.top100projects.ca/index/view.html |title=ReNew Canada - The Top 100 |format=HTML |accessdate=2008-04-18] Estimated cost for the project later grew to $5.25 billion when Bruce Power decided to replace all 480 fuel channels in Unit 4, which will extend its working life to 2036, in line with the other 3 units of Bruce A. [cite news |url=http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/070829/0296204.html |title=TransCanada Announces Expanded Unit 4 Refurbishment on Bruce A Restart Project |format=HTML |date=2007-08-29 |accessdate=2008-04-18 |publisher=Marketwire |location=Calgary, Alberta] In 2008, due to difficulties developing the necessary robotics, the estimated cost of restarting Units 1 and 2 was raised between $400 and $700 million. [cite news |url=http://www.thestar.com/article/415772 |title=Reactor repairs confirmed over budget |format=HTML |date=2008-04-18 |accessdate=2008-04-18 |publisher=The Toronto Star |author=Tyler Hamilton] The project, however, remained on schedule. [cite news |url=http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gIasEEKZ6vUcQqLYp38liK7r1uAg |title=Bruce Power two-unit restart cost estimate rises to between $3.1 B and $3.4 B |format=HTML |date=2008-04-17 |accessdate=2008-04-18 |publisher=The Canadian Press |location=Toronto, Ontario] [cite news |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24180619/ |title=TransCanada Provides Update on Bruce A Units 1 and 2 Restart Project |format=HTML |date=2008-04-17 |accessdate=2008-04-18 |publisher=Marketwire |location=Calgary, Alberta]

As part of a plan submitted to the Ontario Energy Board for approval, the Ontario Power Authority recommended building a new nuclear power station consisting of at least two reactors. [cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2007/08/29/ontario-nuclear.html |title=Power plan calls for Ontario to spend $26.5B on nuclear plants |format=HTML |date=2007-08-29 |accessdate=2008-04-18 |publisher=CBC News] The leading candidate is AECL's Advanced CANDU Reactor. [cite news |url=http://www.thestar.com/article/414160 |title=Queen's Park prepares for 'power' play |format=HTML |date-2008-04-14 |accessdate=2008-04-18 |author=David Olive |publisher=Toronto Star] Environmental assessments are currently underway both at Bruce and at Ontario Power Generation's Darlington Nuclear Generating Station. [cite news |url=http://www.thestar.com/article/412700 |title=GE-Hitachi won't bid for reactor |format=HTML |date=2008-04-08 |accessdate=2008-04-18 |publisher=Toronto Star |author=Tyler Hamilton |quote=The government plans to pick a winning technology by the end of the year. It also will decide by that time whether the plant will be located in Clarington or Bruce County, and whether the plant's operator will be Ontario Power Generation or Bruce Power.]

Encompassed by the Bruce site is the shut-down Douglas Point reactor, an earlier version of the CANDU design.

ee also

* List of Canadian nuclear generating stations
* Huron Wind
* Nuclear Power

External links

* [http://www.brucepower.com/ Bruce Power]

References