Bruce Power has marked another record run. Unit 5 ran for 591 days before it was removed from service for a planned maintenance outage.
A media release says the unit surpassed its previous record of 556 consecutive days online on Jan. 1, 2022, and continued its strong performance until the planned outage began Friday. The Unit 5 planned outage represents an investment into maintenance projects that will allow the unit to perform strongly until its Major Component Replacement Project, scheduled for 2026.
“We are proud to provide reliable electricity to the people and businesses of Ontario during these cold winter months, while also producing zero carbon emissions from our energy output,” said Chris Mudrick, Bruce Power’s Chief Nuclear Officer and Executive Vice President. “The collective effort of our people is what allows us to reach these milestones.”
The outage will include a harvest of Cobalt-60, a life-saving medical isotope used in fighting cancer and to sterilize single-use medical devices that are so important to public safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. This harvest will produce enough Cobalt-60 to sterilize about 24 billion gloves, masks, gowns and swabs. Bruce Power says the company is a leader in nuclear medicine, with the four Bruce B units safely producing Cobalt-60 for decades, while it recently expanded its isotope program through the innovative Isotope Production System, which will produce Lutetium-177 (Lu-177) to treat prostate cancer. Bruce Power will market the new isotope supply in an historic collaboration partnership with Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON). The partnership project with SON, named “Gamzook’aamin Aakoziwin,” includes an equity stake for SON and a revenue-sharing program that provides a direct benefit to the Nation.
The Unit 5 planned maintenance outage is part of Bruce Power’s ‘Made in Ontario’ economic recovery investment of $3 billion over the next 18 months through the company’s Life-Extension Program, isotope development, and asset optimization strategy. These investments help to create and sustain thousands of highly skilled jobs and drive economic benefits across Ontario, securing reliable electricity for decades and contributing to Bruce Power’s Net Zero 2027 goal, as well as Canada Net Zero 2050.
