All four operating units at Bruce Power’s Bruce A generating station are being removed from service starting Monday, during the planned Vacuum Building Outage (VBO). Bruce Power noted in a media release that all four operating units must be shut down once every 12 years to allow for inspections and maintenance to the vacuum building.
During the Vacuum Building Outage, Bruce Power said it is investing in an innovative new filtration system which the company says will provide an extra layer of safety and protection for the public and the surrounding environment. The new system is expected to be fully commissioned and available by the end of 2022. VBOs are scheduled during periods of the year when demand for power is expected to be low – usually the spring or fall
A media release from Bruce Power said vacuum buildings are unique to multi-unit CANDU generating stations and are part of their robust safety systems, providing an additional protective barrier to the release of radioactivity to the environment.
“With four operating units out of service, this is not a typical outage campaign,” said Frank Payne, Vice President of Bruce A. “Years of planning and preparation goes into our VBO outages and we are ready to safely carry out our maintenance and inspection work and successfully return these units to service.”
Bruce Power works closely with the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to ensure the timing of these outages can be accommodated to meet the needs of the province’s electricity grid. This allows Bruce Power to make sure its units will be operational for the summer peak period, providing about 30 per cent of Ontario’s electricity with zero carbon emissions at a time when reliable energy is most needed.