Bruce A and B Nuclear Generating Stations
Latest OSART mission report to Canada at Bruce Power now available
On May 13, 2016, Bruce Power released the full report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Operational Safety and Review Team (OSART) mission that was done in the Bruce B Nuclear Generating Station from November 30 to December 17, 2015. The purpose of the mission was to review operating practices in the areas of Leadership and Management for Safety; Training & Qualification; Operations; Maintenance; Technical Support; Operating Experience feedback; Radiation Protection; Chemistry; Emergency Preparedness and Response; Accident Management; interactions between Human Technology and Organization, and Long Term Operations.
During the mission, the team reviewed many of the plant's programs and procedures, observed work in progress, and held in-depth discussions with plant personnel. The conclusions of the OSART team were based on the plant's performance compared with the IAEA Safety Standards. The OSART team concluded that Bruce Power is committed to improving the operational safety and reliability of the plant. The team outlined good areas of performance, such as the development of an effective overall technical strategy to manage reactor safety and the use of wide range of engaging training settings to provide learning and development opportunities to employees. In total, the report identifies 10 good practices, 25 good performances, 12 suggestions and 5 recommendations.
Bruce Power is meeting all current regulatory requirements, and the recommendations and suggestions of the OSART mission report are considered to be improvements to existing safe practices. Read Bruce Power’s letter on the OSART report.
A follow-up visit will be conducted 18 months after the initial mission. The CNSC Integrated Action Plan on the Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident called for the IAEA to conduct OSART missions at all Canadian NPPs, starting in 2015. These missions will provide opportunities for Canadian NPP operators to benefit from the dissemination of information on industry best practices and to broaden their experience and knowledge.
About the OSART mission: The Bruce Power OSART mission was conducted at the request of the Government of Canada and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. It was the fifth mission in Canada since 1983 and the 188th of the IAEA program, which began in 1982. The team was composed of IAEA staff members and experts from Finland, France, Hungary, India, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, the UK and the US. The collective nuclear power experience of the team was approximately 380 years.
Bruce Power is licensed to operate the Bruce A and Bruce B Nuclear Generating Stations, located in the municipality of Kincardine on the eastern shore of Lake Huron, Ontario. Bruce Power also operates a nuclear waste management facility onsite. The CNSC has full-time staff at the stations who perform inspections to evaluate operations and to verify compliance with regulatory requirements and licence conditions.
- Plant Information
- Latest CNSC Facility-Specific Announcements
- Latest Licensee Public Disclosures
- Regulatory Reporting
- Other Key Topics
- Adjacent Nuclear Facilities and Project
Plant Information
Aerial view of the Bruce A Nuclear Generating Station
Location: Kincardine, Ontario
Operator: Bruce Power
Reactor Type: CANDU (CANada Deuterium Uranium)
Vendor: Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
Number of units: 8 reactors
Installed capacity: 6,232 MW (Bruce A & B combined)
Status: All units operating
Licenses issued: June 1, 2015
Licenses expire: May 31, 2020
Start of commercial operation: Between 1977-1979 for Bruce A and 1984-1987 for Bruce B
Refurbished units: Bruce A units 1 and 2
Special containment feature: Common vacuum building maintained at negative atmospheric pressure
Licensing Documentation: Request a copy of the Bruce A and Bruce B licences and licence condition handbooks by email
Latest CNSC facility-specific announcements
- May 28, 2015: Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission renews Bruce Power’s power reactor operating licences
- Read CNSC’s news release
- Read the Record of Proceedings (PDF)
- March 23, 2015: Revised Notice of Public Hearing for Bruce Power Inc. (PDF)
- January 23, 2015: Independent Environmental Monitoring Program: Bruce A and Bruce B Nuclear Generating Stations
- September 17, 2014: CNSC approves Bruce's request to operate beyond 210,000 EFPH
- May 2, 2014: CNSC Extends Bruce Power’s Operating Licence Until May 2015
- May 28, 2013: Final Green Light for Bruce Unit 1
- October 25, 2012: Bruce A Unit 2 Gets Final CNSC Approval
Latest Licensee Public Disclosures
As part of CNSC's regulatory requirements, major licensees must have robust public information and disclosure programs in place. These programs, for nuclear power plants, include a disclosure protocol developed in consultation with community stakeholders. You may visit Bruce Power's Web site for all updates triggered by the protocol's disclosure criteria.
Regulatory Reporting and Documents
- Disclosure protocol (source: Bruce Power)
- Event reports-S99 (source: Bruce Power)
- Environmental reports (source: Bruce Power)
- Regulatory Oversight Report for Canadian Nuclear Power Plants
- Regulatory Actions
- Most Recent CNSC Power Reactor Status Report (This report is prepared to update Commission members during most public meetings.)
CNSC inspectors inside the Bruce Nuclear Generation Station
Other Key Topics
- Ontario gives go-ahead for refurbishment of Bruce Power's nuclear units (Source: Government of Ontario)
- Bruce Power's update on refurbishment plans (Source: Bruce Power)
- Refurbishment and life extension
- Radiation and Incidence of Cancer around Ontario Nuclear Power Plants from 1990 to 2008 study (the RADICON study)
- Canada's Action Plan in Response to the Nuclear Accident in Japan
- Nuclear Power Plant Safety Systems
- Understanding Nuclear Power Plants: Total Station Blackout
Adjacent Nuclear Facilities and Project
Ontario Power Generation Deep Geologic Repository
The site preparation, construction and operation of a Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) is proposed for the disposal of low- and intermediate-level radioactive wastes on the Bruce Site in Tiverton. The DGR will also hold waste produced from the continued operation of the Bruce, Pickering and Darlington nuclear generating stations.
Find out more about the status of this project.
Western Waste Management Facility
The Western Waste Management Facility is owned and operated by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and stores low level radioactive wastes from the Bruce A and B reactors as well as from the Pickering and Darlington nuclear generating stations. The Western Waste Management Facility also houses used fuel from Bruce A and B along with refurbishment waste from Bruce A.
Douglas Point Waste Management Facility
The Douglas Point Waste Management Facility (DPWMF) is located at the site of the former Douglas Point Nuclear Generating Station (DPNGS) situated on the Bruce nuclear site. Decommissioning of this prototype reactor began in 1986, and the transfer of spent fuel from wet storage in the reactor pool to a dedicated dry storage facility was completed by 1987. The DPWMF is presently in the storage-with-surveillance phase of a deferred decommissioning program and is closed to the receipt of new wastes.
Bruce Heavy Water Plant
The Bruce Heavy Water Plant (BHWP) was a Class 1B nuclear facility contained within the boundaries of the Bruce nuclear site located in Tiverton, Ontario. It began producing heavy water in 1973 and continued until the last production facilities were shut down in 1998. The demolition of the BHWP was completed in 2006. All contaminated soil has been remediated, and the project is in the end-state of environmental monitoring.
- Date modified: