As part of its ‘Made in Ontario’ strategy to secure good jobs, strengthen the economy, and cement the province as a nuclear centre of excellence, Canada’s Bruce Power has announced a key contract for its Major Component Replacement (MCR) Project, with Cambridge-based BWXT Canada Ltd. The contract, valued at CAD130 million ($99.7m), is for the fabrication and supply of replacement feeders for Bruce Power’s reactor units 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 and represents an integral part of Bruce Power’s MCR Project. Feeder tube assemblies in Candu reactors transport heavy water coolant between the reactor and steam generators.
The feeders will be manufactured by members of United Steelworkers Local 2859 at BWXT Canada’s Cambridge, Ontario facility. The contract was booked in the first quarter of 2022, and pre-production qualification work for the project is currently underway. Production manufacturing will commence in the fall of this year, and the project is expected to complete in 2031.
“The United Steelworkers are proud to represent the almost 300 members of Local 2859 who have played an integral part in supporting nuclear projects since BWXT entered the industry over 60 years ago,” said Director of United Steelworkers District 6, Myles Sullivan. “This contract represents nearly a decade of high-skilled jobs for our members, and I am confident in their ability to successfully execute this work.”
“We have a Made in Ontario technology and are announcing this ten- year contract today with the confidence that BWXT, and the men and women of United Steelworkers Local 2859 will continue to deliver high quality, on time and on budget components for our Major Component Replacement Project,” said Mike Rencheck, Bruce Power President and CEO.
“This 10-year contract will allow us to make investments in our workforce and facility,” said John MacQuarrie, president of BWXT Canada. “Thanks to this contract and others related to nuclear plant life-extension in Ontario we are creating more highly-skilled, long-term jobs in our community.”
Image: The feeder unit at Bruce 6 (photo courtesy of Bruce Power)
