Ontario’s private nuclear power company Bruce Power has awarded a contract worth some C$400m to a joint venture of Aecon, SNC-Lavalin and United Engineers & Constructors to refurbish Unit 3 reactor at Bruce’s six-reactor plant on the eastern shore of Lake Huron near Tiverton.
It is the second fuel channel and feeder replacement (FCFR) contract for Bruce won by the JV, called Shoreline Power Group. It won the FCFR contract for Unit 6 in 2018.
The aim of the projects is to extend the Candu units’ operational lives through to 2064.
SNC-Lavalin, which holds a 30% stake in the Unit 3 project, said planning will start soon in preparation for the reactor’s shut-down in 2023, when the actual work to remove and replace the components will be carried out. It involves replacing 480 fuel channels and calandria tubes, and 960 end fittings.
The JV will also remove and replace 980 feeder pipes. The work involves complex, robotic tooling and workforce training. Completion is targeted for 2026.
The refurbishment of Unit 6 is expected to be finished by the end of 2022.
“This new refurbishment work on Unit 3 is a continued vote of confidence by Bruce Power in our abilities as the OEM and steward of Candu nuclear technology,” said Sandy Taylor, President, Nuclear, SNC-Lavalin. “We will continue to leverage our deep technical knowledge base, decades of Candu experience and innovation to confidently fulfil the refurbishment needs for this reactor as we have been doing now for several years on Unit 6.”
