'Epic undertaking' to remove steam generators from Bruce Power nuclear plant

A massive milestone has been met in Bruce Power’s 13-year, $13-billion nuclear refurbishment project. The first eight of 48 steam generators to be removed and reinstalled, have been lifted into place.

“They’re 60-feet long, 320,000 pounds. The clearance to get them in and out of the station is millimetres,” says Bruce Power’s John Peevers.

The lifts began in July, and will continue through 2033, as Bruce Power removes all the major components from six of their eight aging nuclear reactors, in order to extend the life of the units until 2064. At full production, Bruce Power produces over 30 per cent of Ontario’s electricity needs.

“It will take roughly four years for the first Major Component Replacement (MCR) on Unit 6, and then after that we’re going to find efficiencies. They’re going to get shorter. We’ll start Unit 3 in 2023, so there’ll be some overlap between units. This will be all ongoing until 2033, when we’ll be all wrapped up,” says Peevers.

A steam generator is removed at the Bruce Power nuclear plant in Bruce County, Ont. in 2021. (Source: Bruce Power)

Over the next 12 years of the MCR Project, Bruce Power will add thousands of jobs to the region, after luring over 60 nuclear suppliers to the region, to add to their 4,000 full-time employees.

“Anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000, at the peak of contract skilled trades from across Ontario and Canada, working on the project. Obviously, that brings spillover benefit to our communities as those people do their business in our region,” Peevers says.

While there’s much more work to be done, the removal of the “engine” of the station, the 320,000 pound steam generators, is amongst the most interesting parts of the MCR project, says Peevers.

“It’s a visually impressive part of the project. The crane is massive. The station itself is seven stories tall, so it’s an epic undertaking, that has gone really, really well,” he says.