ATS-built tooling system shipped to Bruce nuclear plant
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
Coalition of Ontario companies collaborate on new system for power facility
CAMBRIDGE, ONT.—Bruce Power’s maintenance and inspection activities will be enhanced through a new, state-of-the-art tooling system unveiled today by a coalition of Ontario-based companies, the nuclear facility announced.
“Ontario’s nuclear facilities provide reliable and clean electricity. Innovation within the industry is a key driver of jobs and economic growth throughout the province,” Charles Sousa, Ontario’s Minister of Finance, said. “Improving affordability and competitiveness is also key and that is why our government is committed to the refurbishment of the Bruce Power and Darlington units as part of Ontario’s Long Term Energy Plan.”
The Bruce Reactor Inspection and Maintenance System tool is being unveiled today at ATS Automation Tooling Systems in Cambridge and will be shipped in the coming days by ATS to Bruce Power where it will make its debut during Bruce Power’s planned outages for the balance of 2015.
“It’s so encouraging to see innovation and collaboration at work sustaining jobs and economic benefits in our community and across the province,” Kathryn McGarry, MPP for Cambridge, said. “I’m proud of the role our local industry is playing in providing clean, affordable and reliable nuclear energy for Ontario now and in the future.”
The BRIMS automated tooling system is the result of a multi-company collaboration involving Bruce Power, ATS Automation, MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates, BWXT Canada, Candu Energy – which a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Canada.
“We are proud to be part of this important initiative for Bruce Power, a valued ATS customer,” Anthony Caputo, CEO of ATS Automation, said. “ATS automation solutions are at the core of mission critical processes across a wide variety of industries. We have applied our knowledge in this case to provide a very cost-effective way of inspecting and maintaining nuclear reactors.”
Bruce Power provides 30 per cent of Ontario’s electricity at 30 per cent below the average price and its operations inject more than $4 billion into Ontario’s economy every year. Ontario’s Long-Term Energy Plan is counting on Bruce Power’s eight units to supply clean, reliable electricity for decades to come.
“This is an example of the nuclear industry’s incredible innovation and Bruce Power is proud to be at the forefront of this world-class technology to ensure we continue to deliver clean, affordable, reliable electricity to Ontario families and business,” Duncan Hawthorne, president and CEO Bruce Power, said. “This new tooling builds on lessons learned from years of operation allowing for more effective execution of our inspection and maintenance activities that we carry-out on a planned basis through maintenance outages.”
