Bruce nuclear power plant A3
Gross capacity
865MW
Bruce nuclear power plant A3 is a pressurised heavy water reactor unit at Bruce nuclear power plant in Canada rated at 865 MW gross. It is operating. Commercial operation began 1 Feb 1978.
Specification
| Reactor type | Pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) |
|---|---|
| Model | CANDU 750A |
| Size class | Large |
| Coolant | Heavy water |
| Moderator | Heavy water |
| Gross capacity | 865MW |
| Net capacity (reference) | 770MW |
| Net capacity (design) | 750MW |
| Thermal output | 2,550MWt |
| Typical enrichment | Natural uranium, 0.71% U-235 |
Ownership & location
| Site | Bruce nuclear power plant |
|---|---|
| Unit | A3 |
| Country | Canada |
| Owner | Ontario Power Generation Inc100% |
| Operator | Bruce Power |
| Coordinates | 44.3391, -81.5747 |
| Planned retirement | 2064planned, not actual |
Fuel chain for this unit
Fuel form
Natural uranium dioxide bundles
Enrichment
Natural uranium, 0.71% U-235 no enrichment required
Who makes this assembly
- BWX Technologies CANDU fuel bundles, natural uranium
- Cameco Corporation CANDU fuel bundles, natural uranium
- China North Nuclear Fuel Company CANDU fuel bundles
- KEPCO Nuclear Fuel CANDU fuel bundles
- Nuclear Power Corporation of India PHWR fuel bundles, natural uranium
Upstream
This unit runs on natural uranium, so its fuel chain has no enrichment step at all: mine → mill → conversion → fabrication. That is the shortest fuel chain of any commercial reactor type, and it makes the operator independent of the four organisations that control enrichment worldwide.
Fabricator capability is recorded against reactor type and model line, not against named units —
utilities do not publish fuel contracts. See the fuel chain.
Timeline
- 1 Jul 1972Construction start
- 28 Nov 1977First criticality
- 12 Dec 1977Grid connection
- 1 Feb 1978Commercial operation
Other units at Bruce nuclear power plant
| Unit | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|
| Bruce nuclear power plant A1 | 868 | |
| Bruce nuclear power plant A2 | 836 | |
| Bruce nuclear power plant A4 | 868 | |
| Bruce nuclear power plant B5 | 872 | |
| Bruce nuclear power plant B6 | 891 | |
| Bruce nuclear power plant B7 | 872 | |
| Bruce nuclear power plant B8 | 872 | |
| Bruce nuclear power plant C1 | Announced | 1,000 |
| Bruce nuclear power plant C2 | Announced | 1,000 |
| Bruce nuclear power plant C3 | Announced | 1,000 |
| Bruce nuclear power plant C4 | Announced | 1,000 |
Other CANDU 750A units
2 units worldwide share this model designation.
| Unit | Country | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce nuclear power plant A4 | Canada | 868 |
Sources
- Global Nuclear Power Tracker, Global Energy Monitor, August 2026 release — CC BY 4.0 · retrieved 2026-09-06 · this unit last researched by GEM on 2024-05-08
- GEM.wiki entry (further reading) — CC BY-SA 4.0 — linked, not quoted