TIVERTON, ONTARIO — (Marketwire) — 10/17/12 — Bruce Power–s Unit 2 sent power to Ontario–s electricity grid for the first time in 17 years earlier today, marking a major milestone in the Bruce Power revitalization program.
“This gets us one step closer to the finish line and for the first time in nearly two decades we–re in the midst of returning the site to its full operational capacity,” said Duncan Hawthorne, President and CEO. “With this project in the final stages we can see a period of stable, steady operations ahead where Bruce Power plays a key role in keeping electricity costs low, the lights on and the air we breathe clean.”
With first synchronization now complete, final planned commissioning activities will be carried-out on Unit 2 including safety system shutdown testing. Once the units are at high power, they will produce enough electricity to power cities the size of Ottawa and London, ON, combined.
“Ontario is building a modern, clean, reliable electricity system and nuclear energy is a critical part of our energy supply. Bruce Power–s revitalization program is an important step towards eliminating the use of coal fired electricity by the end of 2014,” said Chris Bentley, Ontario Minister of Energy.
The return to service of Units 1 and 2 bring the Bruce Power site back to its eight-unit capacity, doubling the number of operational units from 10 years ago when the company began its multi-year revitalization program to make it the largest nuclear generating facility in the world. Prior to this investment, half of the units on the site were laid up.
The Bruce Power revitalization program is an essential element to Ontario–s plan to phase out coal generation in 2014. Coal output over the past decade has dropped by nearly 90 per cent annually, while Bruce Power has increased its output by 55 per cent. This increased clean generation from the Bruce Power site accounts for 40 per cent of the coal generation reduced to date in the province. With the return to service of Units 1 and 2, Bruce Power will remain a key player in both reducing and staying off coal, which is one of the largest greenhouse gas reduction initiatives in North America.
Learn more by reading our –Revitalizing the Bruce site– book at .
About Bruce Power
Bruce Power operates one of the world–s largest nuclear sites and is the source of roughly 25 per cent of Ontario–s electricity. The company–s site in Tiverton, Ontario is home to eight CANDU reactors, each one capable of generating enough low-cost, reliable, safe and clean electricity to meet the annual needs of a city the size of Hamilton. Formed in 2001, Bruce Power is an all-Canadian partnership among TransCanada, Cameco, Borealis Infrastructure Management (a division of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System) as well as the Power Workers– Union and Society of Energy Professionals. A majority of Bruce Power–s employees are also owners in the business.
Contacts:
Bruce Power
John Peevers
519-361-6583
Bruce Power
24-hour Duty Media Officer
519-361-6161