Work is part of CAD12.8bn project at Ontario nuclear station
The Darlington-3 reactor and its systems have been “separated” from the three remaining operating units at the Canadian nuclear station as work continues on the refurbishment project.
Ontario Power Generation said workers installed the last bulkhead section to complete a physical protective barrier 10 days ahead of the originally planned 44-day schedule. The installation of the bulkhead, which involved welding together 16 steel panels each weighing more than 5,000 kg, is part of “islanding” – or physically isolating – Unit 3 to create a safe and defined work area for refurbishment and protect workers and the plant.
Ontario Power Generation said workers installed the last bulkhead section to complete a physical protective barrier 10 days ahead of the originally planned 44-day schedule. The installation of the bulkhead, which involved welding together 16 steel panels each weighing more than 5,000 kg, is part of “islanding” – or physically isolating – Unit 3 to create a safe and defined work area for refurbishment and protect workers and the plant.
Unit 3 is the second of four Candu units at the site to undergo refurbishment in a 10-year project that will enable the station to continue operations until 2055.
Darlington-2 was the first of the station’s four units to undergo refurbishment. All four units are beinge refurbished in a phased CAD12.8bn ($10bn, €8.2bn) project which is scheduled for completion by 2026. Each of the four units is being taken out of service for three years for work to be carried out.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, OPG postponed the start of Unit 3 refurbishment from May to September 2020, allowing the unit to continue delivering electricity to the grid.
