Implementation of Bruce Power’s Major Component Replacement (MCR) Waste Management Strategy

Abstract

Major maintenance projects at nuclear power stations can generate a significant quantity of waste, both in terms of volume and in many cases physical forms that are not routinely encountered during operations. The planning to manage major maintenance project waste is not unlike the planning for the decommissioning of a station - the principles are much the same. Early identification, quantification and characterization of expected waste are prerequisites to good front-end estimating for project budgeting. Assessment and selection of waste packaging and disposal pathways is required to ensure waste materials and or components do not become stranded and become a legacy issue to be dealt with by others at a later date. It is important to establish an internal organization that provides waste management expertise and support to the project planning and estimating processes as project engineering, project controls and field execution teams generally lack this unique expertise. The internal organization stood up during planning then transitions to field support and oversight during execution to ensure project level waste management plans are properly executed, and to ensure any problems encountered can be quickly addressed and resolved. Waste management for major projects does not simply end with the disposal of the removed/replaced components. Demobilization, storage and/or the disposition of tooling and equipment used in the project must also be planned for and accommodated in terms of budgets, facilities, and logistics. The Bruce Power experience developing, implementing, and executing its Waste Management Strategy for the Bruce A and Bruce B Generating Stations’ Major Component Replacement (MCR) Programs, as well as its portfolio of Life Asset Management Projects (LAMP), is explained and summarized.