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Bruce nuclear power plant

Bruce nuclear power plant is a nuclear power station in Canada with 8 operating units totalling 6,944 MW gross. The site has 12 units on record in total.

Operating3Under construction1Retired2circle area ∝ site capacity Coastlines, borders and lakes: Natural Earth (1:10 million, public domain), which is generalised, so a coastal plant can sit a couple of kilometres off its true shoreline. Site positions: Global Nuclear Power Tracker.
Units on record
12
Operating
8
Operating capacity
6,944MW
Country

Units

UnitStatusTypeModelGross MWOnline
Unit A1 Operating PHWR CANDU 791 868 1977
Unit A2 Operating PHWR CANDU 791 836 1977
Unit A3 Operating PHWR CANDU 750A 865 1978
Unit A4 Operating PHWR CANDU 750A 868 1979
Unit B5 Operating PHWR CANDU 750B 872 1985
Unit B6 Operating PHWR CANDU 750B 891 1984
Unit B7 Operating PHWR CANDU 750B 872 1986
Unit B8 Operating PHWR CANDU 750B 872 1987
Unit C1 Announced - - 1,000 -
Unit C2 Announced - - 1,000 -
Unit C3 Announced - - 1,000 -
Unit C4 Announced - - 1,000 -

Bruce nuclear power plant in context

By gross operating capacity Bruce nuclear power plant is the 1st largest of 4 operating nuclear sites in Canada, holding 51% of the country's operating capacity, and ranks 1st of 172 worldwide.

Its operating units started up between 1977 and 1987; the median unit is 44.5 years old, older than the median of 41.0 in Canada.

The 8 units with both construction and grid dates on record took 5.4 to 7.6 years (median 6.4) from construction start to grid connection; the median across all reactors connected in the 1980s is 7.3 years.

The nearest other tracked nuclear sites are Pickering nuclear power plant (209 km), Darlington nuclear power plant (234 km) and Darlington New nuclear power plant (235 km).

8 operating units are rated differently now from their design net capacities: Unit A1 +5.7%, Unit A2 +6.1%, Unit A3 +2.7%, Unit A4 +2.5%, Unit B5 -0.6%, Unit B6 -0.6%, Unit B7 -0.6% and Unit B8 +2.8%.

The tracker lists a planned retirement year, a forecast and not a decision on record, for 8 operating units: Unit A1 (2042), Unit A2 (2043), Unit A3 (2064), Unit A4 (2064), Unit B5 (2064), Unit B6 (2064), Unit B7 (2064) and Unit B8 (2064).

Build time by unit

UnitConstruction startGrid connectionYearsFleet median, same decade
Unit A2197019765.85.4 (1970s)
Unit A1197119775.65.4 (1970s)
Unit A3197219775.45.4 (1970s)
Unit A4197219786.35.4 (1970s)
Unit B6197819846.57.3 (1980s)
Unit B5197819846.57.3 (1980s)
Unit B7197919866.87.3 (1980s)
Unit B8197919877.67.3 (1980s)

Nearest tracked nuclear sites

How these are worked out: ranks use gross operating capacity; ages count from the start-up year on record, as on the age page; build times run from construction start to grid connection, as on the build-times page; ratings are the tracker's net and design net capacity, as on the uprates page. Distances are straight-line between exact positions, so a site with only an approximate position gets none. A unit missing a date or a rating is left out of the figure that needs it.

Site detail
LocationOntario, Canada
Coordinates44.3391, -81.5747
Elevationabout 190 mabove sea level
SettingOn the shore of a large lake, 0.7 km from the water
RegionNorthern America
Units by status
Operating: 8
Announced: 4

Elevation is read at the listed coordinates from a 30 m terrain model (SRTM 30 m). Two independent models differ by a median of 6 m across our plants and by up to about 40 m on steep or coastal ground, and a point on a shoreline can read as sea level. Distance to the water is measured to a generalised 1:10 million coastline, so a few kilometres or less is not resolved. This is context, not a design-basis or flood-risk figure.

Owners & operators
Owners
Ontario Power Generation Inc
Operators
Bruce Power

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Sources

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