Bruce Power’s Major Component Replacement (MCR) is entering into a new phase of the project after completing the last of the reactor removal work, Bruce Power said on 14 July. The MCR project team, alongside vendor partner Shoreline Power Group, a joint venture between Aecon, SNC-Lavalin and United Engineers & Constructors, spent about 10 months removing feeder tubes, pressure tubes, calandria tubes and other important internal components of the unit 6 reactor in preparation for the installation of new parts that will extend the life of the unit for 40 years.
The last of these removals were successfully completed ahead of schedule on 9 July, said Jeff Phelps, Vice President, Major Projects.
“This is an important moment for the MCR project,” Phelps said. “We’re now turning our attention to the inspection and installation work, which will be much more hands-on for our tradespeople. We have an exceptional team. Our vendors are second to none, and I’m confident in our continued success as we transition into the next phase of the project.”
Shoreline Power Group is responsible for the fuel channel feeder replacement portion of the project, which involves all reactor removal, inspection, and installation work. This includes the removal and replacement of 960 feeder tubes, 480 fuel channels, and 480 calandria tubes. This work will directly and indirectly create and sustain about 1,500 jobs over the next 15 years in Grey, Bruce and Huron counties, and throughout Ontario.
“Successfully completing the reactor removal work on unit 6 provides a critical foundation as we progress towards the next phase of the project,” said Thomas Clochard, Aecon’s Senior Vice President & Executive Lead, Nuclear, on behalf of Shoreline Power Group. “The Shoreline team continues to demonstrate its preeminent nuclear expertise, with first-rate safety and quality performance. We look forward to achieving continued success as we work with Bruce Power to execute this important project, which supports the efficient and reliable supply of clean energy for Ontarians, and Canada’s commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.”
The project was supported by other key vendors and suppliers including SNC-Lavalin, Eclipse Automation, Candu, Black & McDonald, and Nuvia Canada, and also received indirect support from industry experts Ontario Power Generation and Canatom, which offered collaborative assistance throughout the nearly year-long removal phase. ATS Automation Tooling Systems has played a primary role in the removal phase by designing, testing and manufacturing the majority of the highly automated tooling systems which were used to support the safe removal of reactor components.
“To execute a project of this scale and complexity takes considerable collaboration and support from industry leaders and project partners, which we’ve unquestionably seen since the start of the project,” said Eric Chassard, Bruce Power’s Executive Vice President, Projects and Engineering. “It is through this teamwork and collaboration that the MCR Project will be able to provide Ontarians with stable, affordable, and clean energy for decades to come. I’m proud of the team’s work and look forward to continued success on the next phase of the project.”
