Former Prime Minister visits Bruce Power to mark completion of prestigious international review

TIVERTON, ON, Dec. 16, 2015 /CNW/ - Canada's 20^th Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien, visited the region today to mark the completion of a safety review of Bruce Power by international experts. The experts, led by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), arrived at Bruce Power earlier this month to start an Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) Mission, which officially concluded today.

"It is an honour to visit the world's largest operating nuclear generating facility and to share this special occasion with the community and Bruce Power employees and to see the commitment to continuous improvement," said Chrétien. "As Prime Minister I was always proud of Canada's nuclear industry and the role it plays at home and abroad and this review demonstrates our openness and willingness to contribute to safety improvements in the international nuclear community."

Bruce Power was put forward for this review in 2014 by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), Canada's independent nuclear regulator and an active participant in the international nuclear community. The OSART Program has been in place since 1982 to support continuous operational safety improvements in Nuclear Power Plants worldwide and provide opportunities to IAEA member states to share best practices identified through these reviews to other nuclear operators.

The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien was Canada's 20^th Prime Minister from 1993 to 2003. As Prime Minister, he was a strong supporter of Canada's nuclear industry on the global stage supporting the construction of CANDU reactors internationally. Prior to becoming Prime Minister he served in a number of portfolios including Minister of Finance, Justice, Energy and Trade from 1967 to 1984.

The OSART review focused on operational safety of Bruce B and the objective of this mission was to objectively assess safety performance using the IAEA's Safety Standards as reference and propose areas where further improvements could be considered by the Bruce B management. The good practices identified at Bruce B will be disseminated to the rest of the nuclear community by the IAEA. The review covered the areas of leadership and management for safety; training and qualification; operations; maintenance; technical support; operating experience; radiation protection; chemistry; emergency planning and preparedness, accident management, human, technology and organization interaction and long term operation.

Experts from the IAEA as part of this mission were from Brazil, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Finland, France, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, the UK and the US. A final report will be provided to Bruce Power on the findings in 2016 that will be provided to the public.

The company also announced the establishment of the Chrétien Global Nuclear Leadership Award to be given annually to a Bruce Power employee who provides leadership in their field in the international nuclear industry. The first recipient of the award was Scott Hilts a Manager in Bruce Power's Information Technology Division who has played a leadership role working with the IAEA in the area of cyber security.

Bruce Power is also an active member of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), which also conducts reviews of facilities with extensive information sharing and the World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS) as an international leader in nuclear security.  Bruce B which is recognized internationally for its strong safety and operational performance was awarded the Institute of Nuclear Power Operators (INPO) award of excellence in recognition of its world-class performance in November 2014. The company also co-hosted the WANO Biannual General Meeting (BGM) in Toronto earlier this year that brought together operators from across the globe.

About Bruce Power
Bruce Power operates the world's largest operating nuclear generating facility and is the source of roughly 30 per cent of Ontario's electricity. The company's site in Tiverton, Ontario is home to eight CANDU reactors, each one capable of generating enough low-cost, reliable, safe and clean electricity to meet the annual needs of a city the size of Hamilton. Formed in 2001, Bruce Power is an all-Canadian partnership among Borealis Infrastructure Management (a division of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System), TransCanada, the Power Workers' Union and the Society of Energy Professionals. A majority of Bruce Power's employees are also owners in the business.

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