Bruce Power, ATS Automation sign multi-year master tooling agreement

Bruce Power has signed a multi-year master tooling agreement with ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. (TSX: ATA) for the supply of automated tooling systems and related services for Bruce Power’s Life-Extension Program.

This program will ensure Bruce Power nuclear continues to provide low-cost electricity for families and business for years to come. Bruce Power supplies 30 per cent of Ontario’s energy at 30-per-cent less than the average residential price.

The agreement will bring major long-term economic benefits to the province as Bruce Power advances its multi-year investment program. This is a long-term agreement with initial orders valued at approximately $40-million, and the potential for future orders related to the Bruce Power Life-Extension Program.

“We are pleased to expand our relationship with Bruce Power through a multi-year enterprise supply agreement that is central to Bruce Power’s Life-Extension Program,” said Anthony Caputo, chief executive officer of ATS Automation. “We are committed to the on-time, on-budget success of this very important nuclear refurbishment program.”

Under this agreement, ATS will apply its innovative manufacturing methodologies and knowledge of the nuclear industry to assist Bruce Power in meeting its goals. ATS’s relationship with Bruce Power has included co-development of the Bruce Reactor Inspection and Maintenance System (BRIMS).

The agreement names ATS as a supplier for strategic tooling services, including key reactor tooling systems for the removal of fuel channels for Bruce Power’s long-term investment program. The program includes the life extension of six units, as announced last December.

Since the amended Bruce Power Refurbishment Implementation Agreement took effect Jan. 1, 2016, enabling operation through 2064, it remains on time and on budget.

“This provides us with a strong and innovative industry partner for a program that will continue to create jobs and enhance Ontario’s energy infrastructure,” said Mike Rencheck, Bruce Power’s president and chief executive officer. “While we are planning for the long term, collaboration with strong and diverse partners today will help us deliver our program. We believe this agreement will be the foundation for a long-standing arrangement with ATS as we work to successfully invest in our units, and continue to provide Ontario families and businesses low-cost power.”

Kathryn McGarry, Ontario’s minister of natural resources and forestry and the MPP for Cambridge, said low-cost, clean, reliable nuclear power is a key component of the province’s electricity system and will help Ontario meet its climate change targets while keeping the air clean.

“As Bruce Power extends the lives of its nuclear reactors, the long-term partnership with ATS, a global leader in automation headquartered in Ontario, will leverage innovative technologies and experience to improve safety and efficiency in our nuclear power operations,” said McGarry. “This partnership will help to drive our economy forward and is focused on collaboration to sustain Bruce as one of the lowest-cost electricity providers in Ontario.”

Ian Howcroft, vice-president of the Ontario division of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, said the life extension of the Bruce units will ensure a steady supply of low-cost electricity, allowing Ontario manufacturers to remain competitive and strong.

“Bruce Power and the low-cost, stable electricity it provides Ontario, are part of the solution over both the short- and long-term,” Howcroft said. “One of the biggest issues we hear about is the need for low-cost electricity and that’s what Bruce Power delivers.”

Bryan May, MP for Cambridge, praised the announcement and welcomed the benefits the nuclear industry brings to Cambridge.

“This agreement is terrific news for Cambridge as Bruce Power extends its nuclear reactor life,” said May. “ATS is an important part of our local community, and its success makes us all stronger. This partnership is in keeping with the great work that ATS has always done, and I look forward to the company's long-term collaboration with Bruce.”



Anthony Caputo (front left), chief executive officer of ATS Automation, and Mike Rencheck, Bruce Power president and chief executive officer, sign a $40-million agreement that will see ATS Automation continue as a supplier of strategic tooling during Bruce Power's Life-Extension Program; with them, are Bryan May (back left), MP for Cambridge; Ian Howcroft, vice-president of the Ontario division of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters; and Kathryn McGarry, Ontario’s minister of natural resources and forestry and MPP for Cambridge; photo courtesy of Bruce Power