Bruce Power To Reopen Reactors Earlier Than Expected

Canada's Bruce Power has said that it will be ready to restart two nuclear reactors earlier than planned after getting dates for a regulator hearing on amending its license.

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, which regulates the use of nuclear energy and materials in the country, has scheduled hearings for December and February. The first of two units could get going in April, three months early, the company said.

The units were mothballed by Ontario Hydro in 1998 because they needed refurbishing. The current owner which is a partnership between British Energy Plc, uranium producer Cameco Corp., and union workers, has applied to restore two of them, increasing Bruce Power's capacity by fifteen hundred megawatts.

The cost of restoring the two Bruce “A” units is expected to rise to C$400 million ($254 million) because of expenses related to improving security and reliability, Bruce Power spokesman Steve Cannon said. The company has already spent C$195 million on the project, he said.

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