Bruce Power Confirms Bruce B OSART Visit in 2017

To mark the completion of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference in Vienna, Austria, Bruce Power will host a follow-up Operational Safety and Review Team visit at Bruce B in 2017.

“Bruce Power is proud to be an active participant in the international nuclear community and OSART Missions are a key part of this enabling us to continue to do what nuclear operators do best—focus on sharing best practices and continuous improvement,” said Pierre Pilon, senior vice president, Bruce B. “By any measure, we work in one of the safest industries in the world and this level of performance is only achieved through sharing our experiences and successes as an industry, while always being open and transparent about how we can do better.”

In December 2015, Bruce Power hosted a group of international nuclear experts led by the IAEA through an OSART Mission after the site was put forward for the review by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), Canada’s independent nuclear regulator and an active participant in the international nuclear community.

The review focused on Bruce B, which is recognized internationally for its strong safety and operational performance and was awarded the Institute of Nuclear Power Operators (INPO) award of excellence in recognition of its world-class performance in November. Follow-up Missions are a formal part of every OSART Review.

“In addition to announcing this follow-up visit, we were pleased to be part of a Canadian delegation to the IAEA General Conference led by Kim Rudd, parliamentary secretary to the minister of natural resources, where the nuclear industry came together on the world stage,” said James Scongack, vice president, Corporate Affairs. “We were pleased to share the results of our OSART Mission last December with the international community and how we ensured our Mission was open, transparent and actively engaged the community.”

An aerial view of Bruce Power.

The OSART Program has been in place since 1982, providing member states the opportunity to share best practices and also to support continuous improvements to their operations. Best practices identified through these reviews are shared through the IAEA to other nuclear operators.

“Canada has a nuclear industry and independent regulator that is respected internationally and this was very clear to me in the many meetings of the Canadian delegation at the General Assembly this week,” said Rudd, who is also the MP for Northumberland-Peterborough South. “It’s important Canada remain committed to OSART Missions and I’m pleased with the results of the Bruce B visit last year where we were able to open our doors to the world and share best practices, with an ongoing focus on continuous improvement.”

Bruce Power’s facilities are licensed by the CNSC, which has inspectors on site and publishes an annual report on the safety performance of all nuclear power plants in Canada. Bruce Power is also an active member of the World Association of Nuclear Operators, which also conducts reviews of facilities with extensive information sharing.