Bruce Power has reached another milestone in its ongoing Life-Extension Program, wrapping up a major phase of the Unit 4 Major Component Replacement ahead of schedule thanks to specialized, local automation.
Technicians successfully finished installing 480 calandria tubes into the Unit 4 reactor, beating the timeline achieved during the previous Unit 3 overhaul by 25 days and setting a new speed record for CANDU reactor refurbishments.
The rapid progress relies heavily on a custom six-axis robotic tooling system that was first deployed during work on Unit 3. By taking what was learned from that initial rollout and tweaking the operation, project teams achieved precise fits while reducing worker exposure to radiation. The advanced machinery works from both sides of the reactor face, sliding inserts into each tube before rolling the joint to micro-measured dimensions to create a completely leak-tight seal. During a single 24-hour stretch back in August, crews used the equipment to set 20 tubes, breaking the previous record of 16 set during the Unit 3 project.
The specialized equipment was designed, tested, and deployed through a joint effort involving Bruce Power, Shoreline Power Group, ATS Automation, and Calian Engineering.
“Once again, Ontario's nuclear sector is demonstrating its world leadership and proven track record of delivering large-scale refurbishments on budget and ahead of schedule,” said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Energy and Mines. “Made-in-Ontario innovation accelerated the competition of the Unit 4 Major Component Replacement, delivering another record at Bruce. With electricity demand projected to rise by up to 90 per cent by 2050, Ontario continues to set the benchmark for the world as we build new nuclear for the next generation, creating 150,000 new jobs.”
With the calandria tube phase wrapped up, crews on Unit 4 are shifting their focus to installing fuel channels. The methods refined during this stage will serve as a template for the remaining work across the site. The Unit 4 outage marks the midpoint of a long-term plan to rebuild Units 3 through 8 by 2033. Units 6 and 3 have already returned to commercial operation, while the Unit 5 overhaul is scheduled to start this November at Bruce B, with Units 7 and 8 scheduled to follow.
“We are returning our units to service with very high quality, providing clean, reliable and affordable electricity for the people of Ontario for decades to come, while ensuring a very stable supply of cancer-fighting medical isotopes for patients around the world,” said Eric Chassard, Bruce Power’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our skilled tradespeople, Project Team and expert nuclear supply chain are leading the way in safety, quality, innovation and overall performance as we build a clean energy future.”
