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Site Record
Metadata
Site Name |
Bruce Nuclear Power Development |
Site# |
109 |
Description |
The initial lands for the Bruce Nuclear Power Development (BNPD), in the Municipality of Kincardine (formerly Bruce Township) along the eastern shore of Lake Huron, Ontario, were acquired by Ontario Hydro in 1960. Ontario Hydro and BNPD obtained additional land in the 1970s to accommodate the heavy water plant and other expansions. In total the Bruce Nuclear Power Development site covers slightly more than 2,700 acres. Following the success of the development of the Douglas Point Nuclear Generating Station, a decision was made to build four additional reactor units in Nuclear Generating Station referred to as "Bruce A" next to (north of) Douglas Point. During construction several roads leading to the site were paved to facilitate the increased traffic. In 1970-1971 a rail line was extended from the Port Elgin line to terminate at the Heavy Water Plant at BNPD. In 1978, the construction of four additional units in "Bruce B" Nuclear Generating Station began, situated on the south side of Douglas Point. The timeline of reactor unit construction, commissioning shutdown/layup and return to service of each unit is set out below: Construction Start Date; Commissioning Date; Shutdown/Layup Date; Return to Service Date Bruce A, Unit 1: June 1, 1971; September 1, 1977; 1997; 2012 Bruce A, Unit 2: December 1, 1970; September 1, 1977; 1995; 2012 Bruce A, Unit 3: July 1, 1971; February 1, 1978; 1998; 2004 Bruce A, Unit 4: September 1, 1972; January 18, 1979; 1998; 2012 All four units were 750-megawatt reactors, which supplied roughly 12 percent of Ontario's electricity. Bruce B, Unit 5: June 1, 1978; March 1, 1985 Bruce B, Unit 6: January 1, 1978; September 14, 1984 Bruce B, Unit 7: May 1, 1979; April 10, 1986 Bruce B, Unit 8 : August 1, 1979; May 22, 1987 Power corridors were established through Bruce Township on lands owned by Ontario Hydro and through easements with private land owners. In 1988 Bruce Units 3, 4, 6 and 7 place in the Top 10 reactors in the world for the previous year's excellent performance. In 1999, Ontario Hydro was divided into five successor companies. Ontario Power Generation (OPG), Ontario Hydro's successor, continues to own the Bruce Nuclear Power Development site. In May 2001, Bruce Power Limited Partnership (a Canadian business partnership composed of several corporations) leased and assumed operational control of the site including Bruce "A" and "B" nuclear generating stations (not including Douglas Point Nuclear Generating Station, which operated from the late 1960s to 1984). Bruce Power began putting Bruce A Units 1 to 4 back into service, and by 2013, all eight units were providing electricity to Ontario's grid. In 2022, Bruce Power installed an Isotope Production System (IPS) in Bruce B Unit 7 which produces short-lived medical isotopes. Bruce Nuclear Power Development is Canada's largest nuclear generating station. The following facilities are also contained at the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station: - Western Waste Management Facility (not included on the Bruce Power lease) - Bruce Learning Centre (formerly Western Nuclear Training Facility) - Bruce Bulk Steam System - Bruce Steam Plant and Condensate Plant - Central Maintenance Facility - Bruce Stores and Warehouses (Supply Chain) - Training and Mockup Building - EPS Training Facility (formerly the Fire Training Facility) - Various administration buildings and security facilities - Tourist Centre on Bruce Rd. 20 overlooking the BNPD Bruce Heavy Water Plant (1973-1997) The Bruce Heavy Water Plant was situated on the Bruce Nuclear Power Development site, between Douglas Point and Bruce A Generating Station. Atomic Energy of Canada Limited contracted the Lummus Company of Canada Limited in 1969 to design and construct the first phase of the plant. Ontario Hydro commissioned and operated the Plant. During its lifetime, the Bruce Heavy Water Plant was the world's largest heavy water production plant with a capacity of 1,600 tonnes of reactor grade heavy water per year at its peak (800 tonnes per year per full plant, two fully operational plants at its peak). It used the Girdler sulfide process to produce heavy water, and required 340,000 tonnes of feed water to produce one tonne of heavy water. Heavy Water Reactors use heavy (enriched) water, the molecules of which comprise hydrogen atoms that are made up to more than 99 per cent of deuterium, a heavier hydrogen isotope. The plant was planned to consist of four sub-plants, A through D: -A was in production in 1973, shutdown in 1984, and demolished in 1993; -B was in production in 1979, partially shutdown in 1993, completely closed in 1997 and demolished starting in 1997 -C was never built; -D was 70% complete when cancelled, and demolished in 1995. Sources: Bruce Power. "Bruce Power: Innovation at Work." Bruce Power. Brucepower.com, Web. 10 Oct. 2015. Bruce Power. "History." Bruce Power. https://www.brucepower.com/about-us/history/, Web. December 30, 2024. Canadian Nuclear Laboratories. "Decommissioning the Douglas Point Prototype Reactor." https://www.cnl.ca/en/home/environmental-stewardship/decommissioning/douglas-point/default.aspx. Accessed Jan. 21, 2021. The Township of Bruce Historical Society. "Bruce Township Tales & Trails, with supplement." Tiverton: The Township of Bruce Historical Society, 1997. Print. Wikipedia. "Bruce Nuclear Generating Station." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Nuclear_Generating_Station. Accessed December 30, 2024. Wikipedia. "Heavy Water." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_water#Canada. Accessed December 30, 2024. |
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A2010.110.018 - Postcard, Picture
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A2010.110.019 - Postcard, Picture
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A2012.125.111 - Nuclear energy in Canada : a survey of Canadian nuclear developments reprinted from Nuclear Engineering International, June, 1974
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A2013.125.143 - News release - site approval for additional heavy water production units at the Bruce Heavy Water Plant.
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A2013.125.146 - Nuclear Power - social issues and concerns address to the wives at CNA conference by Dorothy Rosenberg - Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility
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A2013.125.151 - Human factors in nuclear power plant design, operation, and safety
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