CANADA

OPG prepares for arrival of Harriet Brooks at Darlington

The highly specialised excavating machine, also known as a 'mole', is being manufactured in Europe

09 August 2024

As work progresses at the site for Ontario Power Generation's Darlington New Nuclear Project (DNNP), a massive tunnel boring machine that will be used in site preparations has been named Harriet Brooks in honour of Canada's first female nuclear physicist.

Harriet Brooks (Image: OPG)

Harriet Brooks was the first woman to receive a master’s degree from Montreal's McGill University in 1901. Brooks discovered that one element could change into another element through radioactive decay and - while she was still a student - was one of the first people to discover the radioactive gas radon. She worked under Ernest Rutherford and Marie Curie, and held a variety of university positions, including at McGill and Barnard College in the USA, as well as working with JJ Thomson at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, England.

The DNPP site (the existing Darlington nuclear power plant can be seen in the background) (Image: OPG)

The highly specialised excavating machine, also known as a 'mole', is being manufactured in Europe and will be used to drill the condenser cooling water tunnel path. Although it is not expected to be on site until next summer, DNNP's team has already completed a retaining wall for the machine's launch shaft.

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) announced in March that early phase works for the Darlington New Nuclear Project to construct the first of up to four BWRX-300 SMRs had been completed on time and on budget, clearing the way for the main site preparation work to begin. This summer has seen drilling begin for the reactor building shaft retaining wall. Work has begun on the on-site fabrication and pre-assembly buildings where components for the plant will be fabricated. OPG has shared a video update of progress at the site.

The first part of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission's hearings on OPG's application for a licence to construct the first unit is to take place this September, with the second hearing in January. Pending regulatory approval, OPG has previously said the project will be ready for nuclear construction work to begin in 2025. The first SMR unit is expected to be in commercial operation by the end of 2029, with the rest of the units expected to come online in the mid-2030s.

Harriet Brooks

 

The tunnel boring machine is currently being manufactured in Europe (Image: OPG)

After more than 100 name submissions and a vote for the best, the team settled on Harriet Brooks as the name of the new tunnelling machine. (A previous tunnel boring machine used to create a 10.2-kilometre-long tunnel to increase generating capacity at the Sir Adam Beck hydro complex in Niagara Falls was known as Big Becky in honour of Sir Adam Beck, the first chairman of OPG predecessor company the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario.)

Contracts support Candu refurbishment projects in China and Canada

09 August 2024

Candu Energy Inc has agreed with Third Qinshan Nuclear Power Company Limited to support the ongoing 30-year life extension of the two Candu reactors at the Qinshan Nuclear Generating Station, while Bruce Power has awarded a CAD700 million (USD510 million) contract to replace steam generators at Bruce units 5, 7 and 8 to the AECON-led Steam Generator Replacement Team (SGRT) joint venture.

A replacement steam generator (Image: Bruce Power)

Units 5, 7 and 8 will be the last three Candu units at the Ontario site to undergo Major Component Replacement (MCR) - a refurbishment process involves removing and replacing key reactor components including steam generators, pressure tubes, calandria tubes and feeder tubes and adding 30-35 years to the reactor's operating life. In total, six units at the site are being refurbished to extend the life of the site to 2064.

SGRT is a joint venture between Aecon and SGT, a partnership between Framatome and United Engineers & Constructors Inc. It has already completed steam generator replacement work in the MCR at Bruce 6, which returned to commercial operation last September. Work is ongoing for units 3 and 4.

SGRT's scope of work as part of the Bruce MCR project includes engineering and planning activities, the removal of existing steam generators, the installation of new steam generators, construction management and procurement of materials, and construction activities. Planning for unit 5 has commenced, Aecon said, with the execution phase beginning in 2027 and completion of all three units anticipated by 2033.

Qinshan agreement

 
AtkinsRéalis company Candu Energy Inc has entered into an agreement with Third Qinshan Nuclear Power Company Limited (TQNPC) to support the ongoing 30-year life extension of the two Candu reactors at the Qinshan Nuclear Generating Station in China, providing design, engineering, and procurement services as part of the project for Phase III. This includes providing sophisticated reactor tooling, training of TQNPC staff, and completing the necessary engineering work to enable the prolonged operation of the plant, AtkinsRéalis said.

The two Candu 6 pressurised heavy water reactors at Qinshan are known as Qinshan Phase III units 1 and 2. The Qinshan site, in Zhejiang province 100 km southwest of Shanghai, is also home to a Chinese-designed CNP-300 pressurised water reactor, Qinshan 1, and two CNP-600 pressurised water reactors known as Qinshan Phase II.

Qinshan's Candu units are majority owned by China National Nuclear Power and were built on a turnkey basis, with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited being the main contractor. They began operating between 2002-2003, and are now approaching the scheduled date for component replacement to facilitate a further 30 years of operation.

The contract follows mandates in 2021 and 2022 for pre-project preparatory work, both of which have now been completed on schedule, AtkinsRéalis said.

AtkinsRéalis is the sole commercial licensee of the Canadian-owned Candu intellectual property portfolio, and has taken a leading role in all Candu reactor life extension projects to date globally, including projects in already completed or currently under way in Asia, North America, Europe and South America.

The company's Candu life extension reactor support business is a CAD15 billion "total addressable market" with upcoming projects in China, Canada, Argentina, Romania, and South Korea that could include 19 Candu reactors over the next 10 years, AtkinsRéalis President, Nuclear Joe St Julian said. "With this latest mandate at Qinshan, we are proud to uphold our reputation as the recognised leaders for Candu technology life extensions, maintaining a tradition of safety, quality, and excellence in execution," he added.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News