The second unit at the refurbished Bruce A nuclear power plant has sent electricity to the Canadian grid for the first time in 17 years, five months after its restart was postponed because of generator problems.
The grid synchronisation of Bruce A2 signals the final stages of commissioning the 750MWe Candu after seven years of refurbishment. This saw the replacement of all its pressure tubes and calandria tubes, electrical system upgrades, and the first ever replacement of a steam generator at a Canadian nuclear plant. The unit was ready to restart in May, but a problem with the electrical generator in the non-nuclear side of the plant resulted in a last-minute postponement. Bruce A1 went through a similar refurbishment and became the first of the pair to restart.
Bruce Power president and CEO Duncan Hawthorne expressed his satisfaction that the project was moving into its final stages.