Bruce Power's Unit 2 sends electricity to Ontario grid for first time in 17 years

Bruce Power's Unit 2 sends electricity to Ontario grid for first time in 17 years: http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/bruce-powers-unit-2-sends-electricity-to-ontario-grid-for-first-time-in-17-years-1714318.htm "Bruce Power's Unit 2 sent power to Ontario's electricity grid for the first time in 17 years earlier today, marking a major milestone in the Bruce Power revitalization program.
"This gets us one step closer to the finish line and for the first time in nearly two decades we're in the midst of returning the site to its full operational capacity," said Duncan Hawthorne, President and CEO. "With this project in the final stages we can see a period of stable, steady operations ahead where Bruce Power plays a key role in keeping electricity costs low, the lights on and the air we breathe clean."
With first synchronization now complete, final planned commissioning activities will be carried-out on Unit 2 including safety system shutdown testing. Once the units are at high power, they will produce enough electricity to power cities the size of Ottawa and London, ON, combined.
"Ontario is building a modern, clean, reliable electricity system and nuclear energy is a critical part of our energy supply. Bruce Power's revitalization program is an important step towards eliminating the use of coal fired electricity by the end of 2014," said Chris Bentley, Ontario Minister of Energy.
The return to service of Units 1 and 2 bring the Bruce Power site back to its eight-unit capacity, doubling the number of operational units from 10 years ago when the company began its multi-year revitalization program to make it the largest nuclear generating facility in the world. Prior to this investment, half of the units on the site were laid up.
The Bruce Power revitalization program is an essential element to Ontario's plan to phase out coal generation in 2014. Coal output over the past decade has dropped by nearly 90 per cent annually, while Bruce Power has increased its output by 55 per cent. This increased clean generation from the Bruce Power site accounts for 40 per cent of the coal generation reduced to date in the province. With the return to service of Units 1 and 2, Bruce Power will remain a key player in both reducing and staying off coal, which is one of the largest greenhouse gas reduction initiatives in North America. "