Bruce Power has started loading fuel into the Unit 3 reactor, marking a significant milestone in its Major Component Replacement outage and bringing the unit closer to returning to service.
Fuel loading began following regulatory approval from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and signals the final phase of return-to-service activities. Over the coming weeks, operations staff will load 5,760 fuel bundles into 480 fuel channels. The process will be followed by testing, inspections, and commissioning work before the unit is reconnected to Ontario’s electricity grid.
Once operational, the refurbished Unit 3 will produce enough clean, reliable electricity to power a city roughly the size of Brampton for decades, strengthening Ontario’s energy independence and supporting economic growth.
Unit 3 is the second of six reactors undergoing refurbishment as part of Bruce Power’s Life-Extension Program — Ontario’s largest privately funded clean-energy infrastructure project. The program will extend the life of the site through 2064.
Bruce Power says the Life-Extension Program supports approximately 22,000 jobs annually and contributes billions of dollars to Ontario’s economy, with more than 60 supplier partners now operating in Bruce, Grey, and Huron counties.
Company officials say safety, quality, and regulatory oversight remain top priorities as Unit 3 moves toward returning to service in the months ahead.