Bruce Power looks to Alberta nuclear plant

ALBERTA - Bruce Power LP, Canada's only private operator of a nuclear power plant, said the acquisition of a would-be nuclear firm in Alberta gives it a six- to nine-month head start on planning for the first commercial reactors in the province.

Duncan Hawthorne, chief executive of Bruce Power, said the company was considering building a C$6 billion ($6 billion), 2,000 MEW twin-reactor complex in northern Alberta as it agreed to acquire Energy Alberta Corp. recently.

Bruce is a partnership that includes pipeline company TransCanada Corp., uranium producer Cameco Corp., BPC Generation Infrastructure Trust and two unions. Bruce also runs the eight-reactor Bruce A and Bruce B generating stations in Ontario. The plants produce 4,700 MW now and will add another 1,500 MW after two units are refurbished.

Hawthorne said the company agreed to acquire Energy Alberta because the firm had already begun the process of getting approvals for siting the project, saving Bruce Power six to nine months of work.

The acquisition gives Bruce Power exclusive rights to use Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd's Candu reactor technology in the province. Bruce Power also plans to study the feasibility of using the reactors to produce hydrogen in off-peak hours.