Village Squire, 1978-05, Page 16Get a closeup of space-age
technology
at Douglas Point
The excitement of space age technology is something you
don't have to travel to Cape Kennedy in Florida to experience.
It's one view right here in Western Ontario and it doesn't cost
you a cent to see it.
In July and August of each year Ontario Hydro conducts tours
of the Bruce Nuclear Power Project to let people see a little of
what is going on at the gigantic development on the shore of
Lake Huron.
The development began with a burst of excitment in Bruce
county back in the 1960's when the first Douglas Point nuclear
generating plant was built. It seemed like a huge undertaking at
the time but since has been dwarfed by the developments that
followed. The first power flowed from the station in 1967 and
since then Bruce Generating Station A and B have also been
planned. Along with this has been the heavy water plants. A. B
and D which produce the heavywater used in the generating
stations.
At its height the workforce on the project totaled 8000
completely changing the whole way of life of the surrounding
towns of Kincardine, Port Elgin, Tiverton and nearly all other
population centres in a SO mile radius were affected in one way or
another.
From the initial burst of enthusiasm that greeted the
announcement of Douglas Point, the first full scale atomic
generating station in Canada, the whole project has become
more and more controversial as it went along because of the
disruptive effect it had on the communities surrounding. because
of the effect of power lines on farmland and because of the
growing debate over the safety of nuclear generating plants in
the first place.
Throughout it all for most people the project itself has
remained much of a mystery. isolated out on a point in Lake
Huron seeming "other-wordly". While many people are willing
to debate the merits or demerits of the whole Bruce Nuclear
Development, few of them have ever seen it.
The tours offered by Ontario Hydro still won't give you an
intimate knowledge of the workings of the plant for the obvious
security and safety reasons that visitors just aren't going to get
too close to the actual workings of the plant. Still it can be a very
educational visit. The Visitor Centre is open from 10:30 a.m. to
5:30 p.m. during July and August. Tours are conducted
Wednesday through Sunday and on holiday Mondays. The
Visitors Centre acts as a collection point for the guided bus tours
around the project. The tours are free and leave the centre at
approximately 40 minute intervals.
The Bruce plant is powered by the all -Canadian designed
Candu reactors. There are four units to the big Bruce Nuclear
Generating Station, each of which will have a capacity of 800.000
kilowatts when completed. A similar 3.2 million kilowatt Bruce B
plant has been planned for the site.
Each of the generating stations reactors is basically a
'cylindrical tank filled with heavy water through which pass tubes
containing bundles of natural uranium. The reactor is heavily
shielded to keep the radioactivity inside.
'rhe be
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PG. 14. VILLAGE SQUIRE/MAY 1978.