Bruce Power Ontario Bruce 5 reactor back

NEW YORK, July 13 (Reuters) - Bruce Power LP's 822-megawatt Unit 5 at the Bruce nuclear power station in Ontario returned to service early Monday, the Independent Electricity System Operator said in a report.

The unit shut on July 11.

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.

The company expects to increase Unit 8's output to about 822 MW by modifying the fuel-loading system later this year.

All of the other units remained available for service.

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 at least 2011 before refurbishing the unit to increase its life to 2038 and beyond.

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