Bruce A unit 2 is a CANDU reactor laid up by Ontario Hydro in 1995 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

Status	Restarted
Country	Canada
Location	Tiverton, Ontario
Plant	Bruce A
Unit	2
Operator	Bruce Power
Reactor type	PHWR
Restart type	Retired-plant restart
Shut down	1995
Restarted	2012-10-16
Years offline	17.3
Regulator	Returned to service under CNSC licence (2012)

Notes

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

Timeline

1995 — Ontario Hydro shut down Bruce A unit 2 and placed it in layup. (source)
2011-07 — Unit 2 completed fuel loading after refurbishment. (source)
2012-10-16 — Unit 2 was synchronised to the Ontario grid for the first time in 17 years. (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 1 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

History — Bruce Power (primary), checked 2026-10-11
Unit 2 At Canada's Bruce A Returns To Grid After 17 Years — NucNet, checked 2026-10-11
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
Fuel loading commences at Bruce A unit 1 — World Nuclear News, checked 2026-10-11