Company: Bruce Power, Tiverton, Ontario
Company Description: Situated on the shore of Lake Huron, Bruce Power provides more than 30 per cent of Ontario’s electricity at 30 per cent less than the average cost to generate residential power. Our people are proud of the role they play in safely delivering clean, reliable, low-cost nuclear power to families and businesses across the province and life-saving medical isotopes across the globe.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Energy Industry Innovation of the Year
 Nomination Title: The Fully Automated Reactor Inspection Tooling
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the achievements of the nominated organization since 1 January 2022, OR written answers to the questions for this category? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
https://youtu.be/ZgOKULcYSuM?si=aCnnr8VPY_-SSQ0l
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Briefly describe the nominated organization: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 179 words used.
Formed in 2001, Bruce Power is Canada’s only private sector nuclear generator, annually producing 30 per cent of Ontario’s power. Central to Bruce Power's success are its 4,200 dedicated employees, whose commitment forms the bedrock of the company's achievements. They take immense pride in their roles, ensuring the safe delivery of clean, reliable, nuclear power to households and businesses throughout Ontario, while also facilitating global distribution of cancer-fighting medical isotopes. Bruce Power has worked hard to build strong roots in Ontario and is committed to protecting the environment and supporting its communities.
Bruce Power's Life-Extension Program and Major Component Replacement (MCR) project represent monumental endeavors within Canada's infrastructure landscape. This initiative, touted as Ontario's most significant clean-energy venture, focuses on renewing Units 3 to 8, securing the site's operational longevity until 2064 and beyond. Notably, this endeavor not only aligns with decarbonization objectives but also ensures the continued production of crucial cancer-fighting medical isotopes. Financed entirely through private investment, these projects inject a staggering $10 billion into the economy annually, driving growth at both local and provincial levels.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Outline the organization's achievements since the beginning of 2022 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 215 words used.
Embedded within Bruce Power's ethos is a steadfast commitment to continuous improvement, exemplified by its pledge to enhance performance with each successive refurbishment, as outlined in its agreement with the Independent Electricity System Operator. Now at the one-year milestone since the commencement of Bruce Power's Unit 3 Major Component Replacement (MCR) project, thousands of skilled workers are diligently applying insights gleaned from past triumphs and pioneering innovations. Their collective endeavor is steering Unit 3 towards a scheduled return to service in 2026 to provide clean, reliable energy to Ontario for decades to come.
A cutting-edge training facility has been utilized over the past few years to foster innovation and equip tradespeople with proficiency in using new automated tools. These tools, meticulously integrated into the refurbishment process, promise not only to elevate safety standards but also to enhance schedule performance during MCR outages.
In a testament to Bruce Power's pioneering spirit, the past three years have witnessed collaborative efforts between Bruce Power's Tooling and Innovation team, Shoreline Power Group, ATS Industrial Automation, and Calian Engineering in conceiving a groundbreaking innovation: a fully automated reactor inspection tool set. This revolutionary technology represents a paradigm shift, marking the debut of robotics on CANDU reactor face construction—a pioneering feat set to redefine the landscape of nuclear maintenance practices worldwide.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
Over the past three years, Bruce Power’s Tooling and Innovation team, Shoreline Power Group and ATS Industrial Automation have been developing a first-of-a-kind, fully automated reactor inspection tooling that will be the first robotic to work on a reactor anywhere. This has the potential to help trade operators clean and inspect hundreds of reactor face components whilst running at peak performance from the beginning. Unlike the traditional manual tools, this automated toolset and the jobs it will perform, have been mastered by its integration team, and trade operators before entering the vault. Moreover, the tooling is expected to be remarkably faster and less prone to error and damaging reactor face components than its predecessor.
One of the biggest challenges for the Removal Series is dose management for workers. This summer will mark the first time that skilled tradespeople will operate robotics on a nuclear reactor face from an isolated control centre, driving efficiency through time and schedule savings while also saving radiation dose. The more work that can be automated near the reactor face to keep tradespeople safe and working all year, the better it is for everyone on the project and at home.
Through execution, millwrights, boilermakers and electricians will be able to lean on the expertise of a team comprised of the same programmers, nuclear technicians and engineers from Bruce Power and its vendor partners who helped develop and integrate the tools. The trades, vendor community and Bruce Power have come together to make these breakthrough innovations successful.
- You have the option to answer this final question: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 48 words used.
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