Aecon, SNC-Lavalin win second Bruce Power FCFR contract

Photo courtesy Aecon Group.

Bruce Power has awarded a second contract to Shoreline Power Group—a joint venture (JV) between Aecon Group, Candu Energy (part of SNC-Lavalin Group) and United Engineers & Constructors—for the Unit 3 fuel channel and feeder replacement (FCFR) project at its nuclear generating station in Tiverton, Ont. The contract is valued at approximately $400 million.

The scope of work includes an internal reactor inspection, project management, construction management, field execution and the removal and replacement of 480 fuel channels and calandria tubes, 960 end fittings and 980 feeder pipes. Preparatory work is expected to commence in early 2022, followed by an outage in 2023, when the actual work of removing and replacing the components will be performed. Completion is targeted for 2026. The JV is also responsible for the operations of the complex, robotic tooling and management and training of the full workforce.

Shoreline signed a preferred supplier agreement in 2018 for FCFR work at the plant’s remaining five units as part of the Bruce major component replacement (MCR) program and is currently on Unit 6, with the majority of that work expected to be completed by the end of 2022. Now, with the awarding of Unit 3, four units remain, for which the JV could be awarded similar refurbishment contracts.

“We are proud of the progress by Shoreline Power Group to successfully execute FCFR work on Unit 6,” says Jean-Louis Servranckx, president and CEO of Aecon. “The award of Unit 3 further strengthens our long-term partnership with Bruce Power to continue advancing the MCR program. Aecon is also currently contracted to replace steam generators at Units 3, 4 and 6.”

All of the work is part of Bruce Power’s life extension program, to ensure its Canada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) units continue to operate safely through to 2064.

“This new refurbishment work on Unit 3 is a continued vote of confidence by Bruce Power in our abilities as CANDU nuclear technology’s original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and steward,” says Sandy Taylor, president of SNC-Lavalin’s nuclear business. “We will continue to leverage our deep technical knowledge, experience and innovation to confidently fulfil the refurbishment needs for this reactor, as we have been doing now for several years on Unit 6.”