TIVERTON, ONTARIO — (Marketwire) — 03/16/12 — The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has given Bruce Power the go-ahead to power up its Unit 2 reactor.
Today–s permission to remove reactor shutdown guarantees from Unit 2, which has been shut down for nearly 20 years, means it is now a live reactor and Bruce Power can complete final safety checks in preparation for synchronization to Ontario–s electricity grid.
“The regulator–s approval clears the way for our staff to take the reactor to power operation and complete the remaining commissioning and start-up tests on the unit,” said Duncan Hawthorne, President and CEO. “Operations staff will complete a number of tests that will clear the way for Unit 2 deliver to low-cost, clean, reliable power to the provincial grid.”
Innovation has been a key theme of the refurbishment program on Unit 2, with many complex maneuvers being completed, when previously they were thought to be impossible.
“A project of this magnitude has never been done before on a CANDU reactor and that cannot be overlooked,” Hawthorne said. “We have learned many lessons from our work on Unit 2 and have implemented them on Unit 1 which is following very closely behind Unit 2 and should achieve a similar milestone in a few short months.”
The next step will be to synchronize Unit 2 to the Ontario electricity grid. The 750 megawatt unit will produce enough electricity to power approximately 500,000 homes which is roughly the size of the city of Hamilton.
About Bruce Power
Bruce Power is a partnership among Cameco Corporation, TransCanada Corporation, BPC Generation Infrastructure Trust, a trust established by the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, the Power Workers– Union and The Society of Energy Professionals.
Contacts:
Bruce Power
John Peevers
519-386-6583
24-hour Duty Media Officer
519-361-6161