Unit 6 inspection, maintenance program complete at Bruce Nuclear site

A planned maintenance and inspection program on Unit 6 at the Bruce Nuclear site, which began in early April, wrapped up earlier this week preparing the 822-megawatt unit to provide clean, reliable and affordable power to the Province of Ontario.

 

The program represented an investment of approximately $100-million of private money into provincially-owned assets and provided employment to approximately 700 temporary workers.
 

“By investing now, we are setting the table for continued safe, reliable performance and helping keep the air clean for Ontario families,” said Len Clewett, Bruce Power’s chief nuclear officer.


Bruce B was the top performing multi-unit CANDU plant in the world last year and was recognized internationally with the Institute of Nuclear Power Operators award of excellence in recognition of its world-class performance.
 

While Unit 6 was shut down, workers removed Cobalt-60 which will eventually be used to sterilize disposable medical supplies, including sutures, syringes, surgical gowns and masks. Cobalt-60 is also used to sterilize pharmaceutical wares and cosmetics, and irradiate spices and other consumer products, including fruit, seafood, poultry and red meat.
 

The World Health Organization estimates more than 640,000 major surgeries are performed each day around the world. Sterilized disposable medical devices are used in virtually all of these procedures. Cobalt-60 is supplied to more than 200 gamma irradiators in 55 countries that sterilize surgical gloves, gowns, masks, syringes, sutures, catheters, pharmaceuticals, implants and tissue, as well as several products used in the food and consumer products industries.
 

“Bruce Power is committed to not only playing a role in providing a reliable source of affordable, clean electricity over the long-term, but providing the world’s largest source of Cobalt-60 from our Bruce B units” said Clewett.

 

For more about the role Bruce Power plays in providing Cobalt-60 to keep our hospitals safe, visit: www.cleannuclearpowersafehospitals.com.