Bruce Ontario Bruce 8 reactor back

NEW YORK, June 22 (Reuters) - Bruce Power LP's 795-megawatt Unit 8 at the Bruce nuclear power station in Ontario returned to service on June 20 following planned maintenance that began on April 19, the company said in a release.

The 6,261 MW Bruce station is located in Tiverton on the eastern shore of Lake Huron, about 155 miles (250 km) northwest of Toronto. There are four 750 MW units, 1 to 4, at the A station, which entered service in 1977-1979, and three 822 MW units, 5 to 7, and one 795 MW unit, 8, at the B station, which entered service in 1984-1987.

All of the other operating units were available for service.

The company expects to increase output of Unit 8 to about 822 MW by modifying the fuel-loading system by 2009.

One MW powers about 1,000 homes in Ontario.

Bruce Power LP, of Tiverton, Ontario, operates the entire Bruce complex and leases the Bruce B station from Ontario Power Generation, the province-owned generating company.

Bruce Power LP is owned by uranium miner Cameco Corp (CCO.TO) (31.6 percent), energy company TransCanada Corp (TRP.TO) (31.6 percent), BPC Generation Infrastructure Trust, an investment entity owned by Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (31.6 percent), the Power Workers' Union (4 percent) and the Society of Energy Professionals (1.2 percent).

Bruce Power A LP, which leases the Bruce A station from OPG, was set up when Bruce Power and the government agreed to restore the A station to full service. It is a partnership among TransCanada (47.4 percent), BPC (47.4 percent), the Power Workers' Union (4 percent) and the Society of Energy Professionals (1.2 percent).

BRUCE A RESTART

The company plans to restart Units 1 and 2 in early 2010, at an estimated cost of up to C$3.4 billion.

Ontario Hydro, the former province-owned power company, shut Unit 1 in 1997 and Unit 2 in 1995 because they needed extensive upgrades.

The return of Units 1 and 2 would replace more than 20 percent of the province's 6,400 MW of coal-fired generation, which the government wants to shut by 2014 for health and environmental reasons.

Bruce is also planning to refurbish the other Bruce A units.

Bruce expects Unit 3 to remain in commercial service until 2011 before an expected 36-month refurbishment after which its expected life would increase to 2038.

Unit 4 is expected to remain in service until 2016 before its refurbishment, which will increase its life until 2042.

In addition, Bruce is considering refurbishing the four Bruce B reactors and/or building new reactors, Bruce C, at the station.

In 2007, Bruce launched an environmental assessment of the possible Bruce C project that would add 4,000 MW by about 2016.

Previously, Bruce said it would need to refurbish the four Bruce B units between 2015 and 2020. The company said it would decide in the future whether to refurbish the existing units, replace them with new reactors or both. (Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by John Picinich)