Canada’s Bruce Power has awarded a CAD1.3bn ($1bn) contract to Shoreline Power Group for Fuel Channel and Feeder Replacement (FCFR) for its remaining Major Component Replacement (MCR) projects. These will involve Bruce Power NPP units 4, 5, 7 & 8.
Bruce Power recently completed the construction phase of the MCR portion of refurbishment of unit 6 and refuelling of the unit is now underway in preparation for its restart.
The MCR project began in January 2020. The eight pressurised heavy-water Candu reactor units at the Bruce site in Ontario (Bruce A - units 1-4, and Bruce B - units 4-8) began commercial operation between 1977 and 1987. Bruce Power’s CAD13bn ($10bn) Life Extension Programme, which includes Asset Management and MCR, began in 2016. MCR, which began with unit 6 and also includes units 3-8, will extend the life of the site until 2064. Units 1&2 have already been refurbished and were returned to service in 2012. Work began on unit 3 in March.
Shoreline Power Group, a joint venture between Aecon, SNC-Lavalin and United Engineers & Constructors, completed the FCFR for unit 6 and had previously been awarded the unit 3 MCR project. Under the new contract, Shoreline will execute FCFR work on all six of Bruce Power’s MCR project (units 3-8). Planning FCFR work for at the last four units is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2023, with construction expected to begin in the first quarter of 2025 for completion in 2032.
Bruce Power President & CEO Mike Rencheck said part of Shoreline’s commitment is to deliver the next two MCRs “more efficiently and cost-effectively than the previous one leveraging our lessons learned and best practices”.
Jean-Louis Servranckx, President & CEO of the Aecon Group on behalf of Shoreline Power Group noted: “The success of the unit 6 refurbishment is a testament to the incredible work of our dedicated teams and trades. We look forward to working with our partners to execute the remainder of this critical project with an unwavering commitment to safety, quality, schedule and cost performance.”
Aecon said its share of the contract is worth CAD1bn. SNC-Lavalin's share is worth some CAD173m, and covers project management services associated with the reactor refurbishment. United Engineers & Constructors, with Aecon and Framatome is the Steam Generator Replacement Team (SGRT) joint venture contracted to replace steam generators at units 3, 4 & 6.
Image: Fuel channel installation at Unit 6 of the Bruce Power nuclear power plant (courtesy of Bruce Power)
