Nuclear power plant to restart in Canada

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) on July 20 said Bruce Power may restart Unit 1 at the Bruce A nuclear station. The authorization will allow Bruce Power to restart the reactor and bring it up to 50 percent of full power in order to perform several safety tests under the oversight of the CNSC.
Bruce Power will also require CNSC approval to increase power further.

Bruce Power operates the Bruce A and Bruce B Nuclear Generating Stations on the eastern shore of Lake Huron, near Tiverton, Ontario. Bruce A, which began operating in 1972, has four nuclear power reactors with a capacity to produce 750 MW each. Of these reactors, units 3 and 4 are operating at full power, while units 1 and 2 are currently shut down for refurbishment to bring them up to present-day operating standards.


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Duncan Hawthorne: Fukushima Explanation

(Synopsis:  The tanks for the diesel generators that back up the cooling system were swept away by the Tsunami.  Locating them so close to sea level was a known and documented issue, but the plant management did not take action.  The plants needed to vent off over pressure with Hydrogen build up.  Combustion happened and the Hydrogen ignited.  Fukushima had the capability to vent off the pressure and Hydrogen, but the politicians put in regulations that forced the plant to receive approval to do so.  The approval did not happen 14 hours after the request and the Hydrogen ignited blowing the tops off the reactors buildings and exposing the fuel.)

Duncan Hawthorne is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Bruce Power, the largest
independent power generator in Ontario.

With roughly 30 years in the power generation business, Duncan began his career as a craft
apprentice in the Scottish electricity industry and advanced to hold senior positions in power
companies in the United Kingdom, United States and Canada.

As the executive lead during the acquisition of several power plants in North America, Duncan
was responsible for the acquisition of the Bruce nuclear facility and the formation of Bruce
Power.

Duncan is an active advocate for the nuclear industry and is the Past Chairman of the
Canadian Nuclear Association and current Chairman of the prestigious Board of Governors of
the World Association of Nuclear Operators - Atlanta Centre.

Duncan’s leadership has been recognized by his peers through a series of awards such as
the Ontario Electricity Association Leader of the Year and the Ian McCrae award for
leadership in the Canadian nuclear industry. He has also been honoured by the Association of
Power Producers of Ontario with their 2004 Hedley Palmer Award for outstanding
contributions to Ontario’s electricity generation industry and by the Energy Council of Canada
as their 2005 Canadian Energy Person of the Year.

Duncan is a chartered engineer with an honours degree in control engineering and an MBA
from Strathclyde University in Scotland. He is a Fellow of both the Institution of Electrical
Engineers and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

TransCanada: Bruce unit 2 cleared to start up

CALGARY - Regulators have cleared Unit 2 of the Bruce A nuclear power plant in Ontario to restart after a nearly two-decade-long slumber.

Bruce Power said Friday it can complete final safety checks and prepare to synchronize the reactor, which has been out of service since 1995, to Ontario's electrical grid.

"A project of this magnitude has never been done before on a CANDU reactor and that cannot be overlooked," said Bruce Power CEO Duncan Hawthorne in a release.

"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 Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission's authorization to power up the reactor effectively ends the construction and commissioning phases of the refurbishment project, Calgary-based TransCanada Corp. (TSX:TRP), a part-owner of the plant, said in a separate release.

"This positive development represents the final major step necessary toward bringing the reactor into service," said CEO Russ Girling.

"When we committed to additional investments in Bruce A, we said the restart project was an attractive, long-term growth opportunity for TransCanada. With this milestone being reached, we move further toward realizing the sustainable earnings we expect Bruce Power to generate."

Work on Unit 1 of Bruce A is still underway, and operations on that reactor should restart during the third quarter of 2012.

TransCanada said it expects its share of the capital cost of the Bruce refurbishment to be $2.4-billion.

Bruce Power, on the shores of Lake Huron in Ontario, consists of two generating stations: Bruce A and Bruce B. Together they house eight reactors, six of which have been operational for the past several years.

Other partners in the Bruce Power partnership include Borealis Infrastructure, which is wholly owned by the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, uranium miner Cameco Corp. (TSX:CCO), the Power Workers' Union and the Society of Energy Professionals.

Once the work is complete, Bruce Power will be the world's largest nuclear facility, generating more than 6,200 megawatts or about 25 per cent of Ontario's power. It currently produces 4,700 megawatts.

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Bruce Power nuclear unit to restart after 17 years

Bruce Power to be the world's largest nuclear facility

The Canadian Press - Posted: Mar 16, 2012 2:46 PM ET - Last Updated: Mar 16, 2012 3:49 PM ET

Regulators have cleared Unit 2 of the Bruce A nuclear power plant in Ontario to restart after a nearly two-decade-long slumber.

Bruce Power said Friday it can complete final safety checks and prepare to synchronize the reactor, which has been out of service since 1995, to Ontario's electrical grid.

"A project of this magnitude has never been done before on a CANDU reactor and that cannot be overlooked," said Bruce Power CEO Duncan Hawthorne in a release.

"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 Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission's authorization to power up the reactor effectively ends the construction and commissioning phases of the refurbishment project, Calgary-based TransCanada Corp., a part-owner of the plant, said in a separate release.

"This positive development represents the final major step necessary toward bringing the reactor into service," said CEO Russ Girling.

"When we committed to additional investments in Bruce A, we said the restart project was an attractive, long-term growth opportunity for TransCanada. With this milestone being reached, we move further toward realizing the sustainable earnings we expect Bruce Power to generate."

Work on Unit 1 still underway

Work on Unit 1 of Bruce A is still underway, and operations on that reactor should restart during the third quarter of 2012.

TransCanada said it expects its share of the capital cost of the Bruce refurbishment to be $2.4-billion.

Bruce Power, on the shores of Lake Huron in Ontario, consists of two generating stations: Bruce A and Bruce B. Together they house eight reactors, six of which have been operational for the past several years.

Other partners in the Bruce Power partnership include Borealis Infrastructure, which is wholly owned by the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, uranium miner Cameco Corp., the Power Workers' Union and the Society of Energy Professionals.

Once the work is complete, Bruce Power will be the world's largest nuclear facility, generating more than 6,200 megawatts or about 25 per cent of Ontario's power. It currently produces 4,700 megawatts.

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