
Bruce County council received an update on the Bruce C project.
The project in currently in the planning phase.
Within that phase is the completion of the Impact Assessment.
That includes impacts to population growth, increased demand on services and infrastructure, and workforce pressures.
Councillor Kenneth Craig, who is also the mayor of the Municipality of Kincardine, shared how important this step is to the future of the project.
“It is imperative, I believe, as a host community that Kincardine, as does Bruce County and Saugeen Shores, there’s a responsibility to fully understand the impact.”
Bruce Power has provided capacity funding to the county, the Municipality of Kincardine, and to the Town of Saugeen Shores to support municipal involvement in the Impact Assessment Process.
“In terms of the broader support, yes, I think broader support to help municipalities prepare for larger projects like this is key,” Warden Luke Charbonneau shared. “Hopefully the federal government and provincial government will come around to providing us that support as they have in other communities in Ontario.”
The Bruce C Project is the first nuclear project to go through the new federal Integrated Impact Assessment Process.
The process was put on hold so that Bruce Power could have further engagement with Saugeen Ojibway Nation.
Once the process resumes and is completed, county staff will return to council with draft comments that will be in response to the tailored impact statement and relevant plans.
Bruce County has hired a dedicated project coordinator to support the expansion project. They are responsible for reviewing technical documents, making not of municipal service and infrastructure considerations early on, and working with Bruce Power and municipalities to help lead peer reviews and joint studies.
The Bruce C Project proposes to add 4.800 MW of new nuclear generating capacity by adding four new reactors, which will operate for the next 60-100 years.
Bruce Power has not yet selected a reactor technology for the expansion project.