Bruce A Unit 1

Bruce A unit 1 is a CANDU reactor laid up by Ontario Hydro in 1997 and returned to service by Bruce Power in 2012 after a first-of-a-kind refurbishment with new fuel channels and steam generators. It is a key precedent for restarting long-idle reactors.

Background: Palisades fuel loading: Holtec restart timeline and what comes next · NRC reactor licensing process, explained

Current state

Notes

Historical precedent. Layup year only (Bruce Power history). Capacity not verified; not recorded.

Timeline

• 1997 — Ontario Hydro shut down Bruce A unit 1 and placed it in layup. (source)
• 2011-11-22 — The Canadian regulator approved fuel loading in unit 1, ending the first-of-a-kind refurbishment. (source)
• 2012-09-19 — Unit 1 was synchronised to the Ontario grid. (source)
• 2012-10-24 — TransCanada confirmed Bruce unit 1 had returned to commercial operation. (source)

The timeline is append-only: corrections are added as new entries. Stated targets appear in the current-state table, never as milestones.

Related units

• Browns Ferry Unit 1 Restarted · United States
• Bruce A Unit 2 Restarted · Canada
• Crane Clean Energy Center (Three Mile Island Unit 1) Refurbishment · United States
• Duane Arnold Energy Center Under review · United States
• Indian Point Unit 2 Proposed · United States
• Indian Point Unit 3 Proposed · United States
• Palisades Nuclear Plant Fuel load · United States

See all 45 units in the Nuclear Plant Restarts Tracker →

Sources

1. History — Bruce Power (primary), checked 2026-10-11
2. Unit 2 At Canada's Bruce A Returns To Grid After 17 Years — NucNet, checked 2026-10-11
3. TransCanada Confirms Bruce Power's Unit 1 Return to Commercial Operations; Unit 2 Synchronized to Ontario Power Grid — TransCanada (TC Energy) (primary), checked 2026-10-11
4. Fuel loading commences at Bruce A unit 1 — World Nuclear News, checked 2026-10-11