On this day in 2001, Bruce Power became Canada’s first private nuclear operator. Today, the company celebrates two decades of providing Ontario residents and businesses with clean, reliable and affordable energy and life-saving isotopes.
The first 11 years of the company’s operation was dedicated to restarting Units 1-4, which increased the lifespan of the eight-unit site from 2018 to 2035 and provided the province with 70 per cent of the carbon-free energy it needed to shut down coal. In December 2015, the company signed an amended agreement with the Independent Electricity System Operator to extend the life of Units 3-8 over the next two decades, securing the long-term future of the site through 2064.
“Today, we are taking the time to celebrate our accomplishments of the past 20 years,” said Mike Rencheck, Bruce Power’s President and CEO. “Thanks to the investments being made into the Bruce Power site today we can also look to the future and realize a vital role in providing clean, reliable and affordable electricity to Ontario, lifesaving medical isotopes to the world, and the integral role we will continue to play in contributing to a net-zero Canada by 2050 while growing the economy and fostering innovation for decades to come.
“As a public private partnership, we owe our success to our employees, investors and partners, past and present, and to our surrounding communities, which have been so supportive,” Rencheck added. “Bruce Power and our employees are proud to support local causes and invest in the betterment of our communities to secure a brighter future.”
Hon. Lisa Thompson, Huron-Bruce MPP and Minister of Government and Consumer Services, congratulated Bruce Power on this milestone and recognized the company’s positive role in the region.
“I remember in the ’90s when the Bruce A units were shut down, the tremendous impact it had on the local economy,” Hon. Thompson said. “When Bruce Power took control of the site in 2001, they had a long-term vision and a commitment to the community that has left a lasting positive impact on our small towns. Bruce Power’s success has attracted many more companies to the region, and has demonstrated that good quality, high-tech jobs can be sustained in small-town Ontario.”
Hon. Bill Walker, Ontario’s Associate Energy Minister and MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, looks forward to a bright future for the nuclear industry.
“Over the past 20 years, Bruce Power has helped our community transition from a dark period into an era of nuclear innovation that delivers clean, reliable energy, secures high-skilled, sustainable jobs, and promotes local economic growth and healthy communities,” Hon. Walker said. “From producing life-saving medical isotopes to generously donating more than two million pieces of PPE and funding to local food banks since the start of the pandemic, Bruce Power is a shining example of civic and corporate responsibility during these tough times. I look forward to many more decades of success at Bruce Power.”
To mark its special anniversary, Bruce Power is donating $25,000 each to Habitat for Humanity Grey Bruce, Canadian Mental Health Association Grey Bruce, and the Blyth Festival on behalf of its employees. The company donates more than $2 million annually to community charities and organizations.
“We owe our success to our employees and partners, past and present, and to our surrounding communities, which have been so supportive,” Rencheck added. “Bruce Power and our employees are proud to support local causes and invest in the betterment of our communities.”
