L3 MAPPS awarded further Bruce extension contract

Bruce Power has awarded L3 MAPPS a contract to replace the digital control computer system of unit 2 of the Bruce A nuclear power plant in Ontario. Last year it was awarded a similar contract for unit 6 of Bruce B.

Bruce Power has awarded L3 MAPPS a contract to replace the digital control computer (DCC) system of unit 2 of the Bruce A nuclear power plant in Ontario. Last year it was awarded a similar contract for unit 6 of Bruce B.

The Bruce power plant (Image: Bruce Power)

L3 MAPPs said three DCCs will be delivered. The first unit (DCC-Z) will be used as a maintenance platform and is due to be installed in late-2019. The other two (DCC-X and DCC-Y) are "redundant units for plant operations" and are expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2020.

DCC systems are used to monitor and control the major reactor and power plant functions at Candu nuclear power plants. The new DCC system will feature SSCI-890 CPUs and will replace the Varian V72 computer systems and related equipment "to ensure continuous, safe and reliable performance over the service life of the plant", L3 MAPPS said.

Bruce Power's eight Candu reactors - units 1-4 at Bruce A and units 5-8 at Bruce B - provide 30% of Ontario's electricity and played a central role in the province's phase-out of coal-fired electricity generation. Units 1 and 2 at Bruce A have already been refurbished.

In January 2016, Bruce Power launched its CAD$13 billion, multi-year Life-Extension Programme under an agreement with the Independent Electricity System Operator, the government corporation responsible for Ontario's power supply. Bruce unit 6 will be the first unit to undergo refurbishment, beginning in 2020, and the program, which will take until 2053 to complete, will ensure the units' continued operation until 2064.

Last February, Bruce Power awarded L3 MAPPS a similar contract to replace the DCC system of unit 6 of the Bruce B plant.

L3 MAPPS president Rangesh Kasturi said, "As the Life Extension Programme progresses, we are well-positioned to assist Bruce Power with its six remaining DCC replacements and other instrumentation and control replacement projects."

In addition to Canada, L3 MAPPS has sold DCC systems for Candu nuclear power plants in Argentina, China, Italy, Romania and South Korea. 

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News