Image Courtesy of Bruce Power
The Major Component Replacement project at Bruce Power is entering a new phase after the completion of removal work on one of the reactors.
The Tiverton nuclear power company says in a release the last removals of internal components of the Unit 6 reactor were successfully completed ahead of schedule on Friday, July 9.
Bruce Power’s Major Component Replacement project team, alongside vendor partner Shoreline Power Group, spent about 10 months removing feeder tubes, pressure tubs, calandria tubes and other internal components of the reactor to prepare it for the installation of new parts that will extend the life of the unit for 40 years.
“This is an important moment for the MCR project,” says Bruce Power Vice President of Major Projects Jeff Phelps in a statement. “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.”
According to a company release, 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.
The fuel channel feeder replacement work is expected to directly and indirectly create and sustain about 1,500 jobs over the next 15 years in Grey, Bruce and Huron counties, and throughout Ontario.
The Major Component Replacement project is part of Bruce Power’s life extension program. According to its website, the Major Component Replacement of Unit 6 commenced in January 2020. It will be followed by Unit 3 in 2023 and Unit 4 in 2025.