BWX Technologies, Inc. said Monday that its subsidiary BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada Inc. had signed a $168 million, five-year contract extension to manufacture fuel for Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) Darlington and Pickering nuclear generating stations. The deal extends BWXT NEC’s current fuel manufacturing arrangement with OPG to the end of 2023.
"This contract represents clean, low-cost and reliable electricity for millions of people in Ontario and sustains hundreds of high-value jobs across our facilities in Peterborough, Toronto and Arnprior," said John MacQuarrie, President, BWXT Canada Ltd. and BWXT NEC. “
“BWXT has a long history of supplying reliable, high-quality fuel that meets the stringent requirements of reactor operating conditions. The nuclear industry contributes over $5 billion annually to the Canadian economy and supports about 50,000 jobs in Ontario," added Glenn Jager, OPG Nuclear President and Chief Nuclear Officer.
Three of BWXT’s Canadian-based operations (Peterborough, Arnprior and Toronto) will directly benefit from the positive impacts of the contract extension. The Arnprior operation produces zirconium-alloy tubes, while the Toronto facility produces natural uranium pellets. These components are shipped to the BWXT Peterborough facility where they are assembled into fuel bundles.
BWXT NEC has been manufacturing fuel for OPG since the early 1970s, when the first fleet of Pickering (28 element fuel) reactors came on line. Later, BWXT NEC manufactured fuel for the Bruce and Darlington reactors (37 element fuel) as they came online throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s. Today, and for the past 17 years, BWXT NEC has been the sole fuel manufacturing supplier to OPG, providing both 28 and 37 element fuel bundle designs.
Anonymous comments will be moderated. Join for free and post now!