Our Site Visit to Bruce Power

Last Friday, the OLIP interns were grateful to tour the Bruce Power nuclear site on the shores of Lake Huron in Tiverton, Ontario. We gained an insightful perspective into its operations, with the focus on safety, innovation, and community impressed upon us from the moment we arrived.

Bruce Power generates 30% of Ontario’s electricity, providing one in three homes, hospitals, and businesses with clean, reliable power. Formed in 2001, it is 100% Canadian owned and employs over 4,000 employees. As Bruce Power states, they are “powering the future” through the generation of large amounts of electricity for Ontario while simultaneously advancing medical isotopes and clean energy. Specifically, in the reactor environment, Bruce Power uses the irradiation of materials inside the core to create cobalt-60, which is then extracted and delivered for medical applications in sterilization. In addition, Bruce Power also supplies Lutetium-177, a cancer-fighting isotope used to treat prostate cancer and neuroendocrine tumours.

Before our tour, we watched a video that guided us through Bruce Power’s operations, covering everything from atomic science—where nuclear reactors were analogized as giant kettles—to the safety measures that ensure reliable operation. One detail that particularly engaged us was Bruce Power’s Project 2030— an initiative designed to enhance the site’s net peak capability to 7,000 megawatts through improvements to existing assets by the early 2030s. The project supports Ontario’s climate change targets and future clean energy needs while reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

Our guided tour, led by James Troyak, then took us into the heart of Bruce B (one of the sites at the station), where we visited the control room centre, navigated the harvesting procedure, and learned about the wind turbines. Learning about the environment alongside the protocols, systems, and mechanisms of the plant allowed us to understand the level of precision and responsibility governing nuclear generation.

Altogether, the interns’ visit to Bruce Power was a nuanced education on how a facility producing large-scale electricity also supports global healthcare innovations. Having the opportunity to supplement our theoretical conversation with a walkthrough of the site, where we studied the machinations and processes under the guidance of Bruce Power’s specialists, was an incredible experience.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Clint Thomas and James Troyak, as well as Bruce Power at large, for hosting us and allowing us this amazing endeavour.