Bruce Power says it has achieved a significant milestone by completing the Unit 3 reactor removal series ahead of schedule.
The Unit 3 MCR Major Component Replacement (MCR) is the second of six refurbishment projects intended to extend the Bruce Power site's operational life to 2064. This initiative supports the reliable supply of clean energy and the production of cancer-fighting medical isotopes, contributing $10 billion in economic benefits through direct and indirect spending.
Laurent Seigle, Executive Vice-President of Projects, praised the outstanding performance, emphasizing safety, quality, and schedule adherence.
“We have seen outstanding performance in completing the Unit 3 MCR removal series, meeting or exceeding our targets for safety, quality and schedule. Each successive MCR outage brings an opportunity for performance improvement, and we’re committed to returning these units to service safely and successfully to meet Ontario’s clean energy needs well into the future,” Seigle said.
The MCR project team, along with partners Shoreline Power Group and ATS Industrial Automation, spent about nine months removing key components of the Unit 3 reactor. Innovations since the Unit 6 MCR led to improved performance.
With the removal series complete, the team will transition to reactor inspection and installation work, including the replacement of feeder tubes, fuel channels, and calandria tubes. This phase will create and sustain about 1,500 jobs over the next 15 years in Grey, Bruce, and Huron counties, and throughout Ontario.
Miroslav Kafedzhiev, President of ATS Industrial Automation, noted the upcoming use of industrial robots for reactor refurbishment, a first for CANDU reactors.
“Building on the success of the ATS automated tooling used in the removal series, the upcoming inspection series will mark the first time an industrial robot will be used on a CANDU reactor refurbishment anywhere in the world," he said. "Together with Bruce Power, and in collaboration with skilled and trained tradespeople, we have spent the better part of three years to set a new standard for safety and performance in reactor reconstruction.”
Bruce Power is preparing for the Unit 4 MCR outage, scheduled for 2025, with additional refurbishments planned for Units 5, 7, and 8 over the next decade.
This accomplishment is part of Ontario’s largest clean energy infrastructure project.