Bruce unit 5 refurbishment gets IESO go-ahead

Tuesday, 8 April 2025

Major Component Replacement - or MCR - involves removing and replacing key reactor components including steam generators, pressure tubes, calandria tubes and feeder tubes and adding 30-35 years to the reactor's operating life. Unit 5 will be the fourth of six units at the Bruce site to undergo the process: unit 6 was the first, returning to commercial service last September after the completion of its MCR ahead of time and on budget. Units 3 and 4 are currently undergoing their MCR outages, and will be followed by 5, 7 and 8 in overlapping MCR outages until 2033.

Each successive outage leverages the experience and innovation from the previous ones in the sequence. The privately funded projects generate CAD10 billion (USD7 billion) in annual economic activity, bolstering local and provincial economies while strengthening Canada's energy independence, according to Bruce Power. It says its Life Extension Program to extend the operation of its Candu power plants to 2064 and beyond is Canada's largest private sector clean energy infrastructure project, supporting hundreds of businesses throughout the province and creating and sustaining 22,000 jobs annually.

"With demand for electricity forecasted to rise over the next 25 years, ongoing refurbishments of Bruce Power's nuclear units not only support the long-term reliability, affordability and sustainability of Ontario's electricity system, they also contribute significantly to the economic and social well-being of communities across the province," Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) President and CEO Lesley Gallinger said.

IESO support for the refurbishment programme is long established. The Bruce Power Refurbishment Implementation Agreement signed by IESO and Bruce Power in 2005 supported the refurbishment and return to service of Bruce units 1 and 2, which had been laid up, and the continued operation of the other units, through price contracts. The Amended and Restated Bruce Power Refurbishment Implementation Agreement was signed in 2015 to support Bruce Power's investment in life-extension activities for units 3-8.

In 2023, the agreement was further amended to incorporate the introduction of clean energy Investment Tax Credits - for which nuclear projects are eligible - announced by the Government of Canada. These tax credits will be deducted directly from investment costs subject to power price adjustments under the IESO agreement with Bruce Power, Bruce Power said.

Stephen Lecce, Ontario Minister of Energy and Mines, said the province's government is "squarely focused" on delivering affordable power which is Canadian-built. "That is why renewing Bruce Power's Unit 5 MCR alongside nearly all of our nuclear fleets will enable us to secure more clean, reliable, and affordable electricity we need to power our homes and businesses for generations to come," he said.