TIVERTON, ONTARIO — (Marketwired) — 04/22/13 — Today, for the first time in about two decades, Bruce Power reached its full operating capacity when Unit 6 returned from its planned maintenance outage and all eight Bruce Power units were simultaneously sending clean, low-cost energy to the provincial electricity grid.
“Bruce Power has worked toward this day since we were formed in May 2001,” said Duncan Hawthorne, Bruce Power–s President and CEO. “Over the past decade we have invested $7 billion in private funds in the site – including first-of-a-kind refurbishment projects at Bruce A – and, with this monumental achievement, we are now positioned to provide 6,300 megawatts (MW) of low-cost electricity to the province.”
In the 1990s, all four units at the Bruce A facility were removed from service, resulting in the loss of 3,000 MW of clean electricity that generates practically zero carbon emissions. As a result, the use of fossil fuel-burning coal generation increased from 12 per cent of Ontario–s supply mix in 1995 to 29 per cent in 2000, negatively impacting the province–s air quality and health of Ontarians. In the last 10 years, with the return of Bruce Power Units 1-4 and the reliable performance of Units 5-8, coal use has dropped by 90 per cent and will be phased out entirely by the end of 2013.
“Bruce A–s resurgence has played a huge role in phasing out coal in Ontario and is a central plank to Ontario–s Long Term Energy Plan,” Hawthorne said, adding Bruce Power now supplies about a third of Ontario–s electricity. “Our children and grandchildren will thank us for having the courage to revitalize the Bruce Power site, allowing them to enjoy a life of breathing clean air.”
As a world-leading nuclear operator, Bruce Power will maintain its focus on hiring talented people and developing a workforce that will safely and reliably operate the eight-unit facility for decades, while always focusing on our core value of –Safety First,– Hawthorne added.
About Bruce Power
Bruce Power operates the world–s largest operating nuclear generating facility 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
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519-361-6161