With the retirement of Mike Rencheck, Bruce Power announced the promotion of Eric Chassard to the position of president and CEO effective July 1, 2024.
Chassard joined Bruce Power in 2019 as the executive vice president of Projects and Engineering. In this role, he successfully led the on-time and on-budget delivery of the Life Extension program and implemented a comprehensive project management technique and a long-term procurement strategy securing partnerships through the end of our six-unit refurbishment undertaking. The first unit refurbishment, Unit 6, was successfully returned to service ahead of schedule and under budget in 2023.
“Eric’s leadership experiences represent an unparalleled combination of nuclear power operations and project management, as well as extensive regulatory and stakeholder relations experience,” said Bob Aziz, chair of the Bruce Power Board of Directors on Chassard’s appointment. “The Board is confident of his commitment to safety, our employees, our communities and the businesses that count on us every day.”
ReNew Canada spoke to Chassard, who proudly became a Canadian citizen in 2023, to discuss his new role, the role of Bruce Power in the community and the latest on the power provider’s refurbishment project—No. 3 on the 2024 Top100 Projects report.
How will your previous nuclear industry experience prepare you to lead at Bruce Power?
Eric Chassard: I have been passionate about nuclear energy since I was a student. With a general engineering degree, I specialized in nuclear reactor physics before moving up in engineering, nuclear power plant operation, recycling facility operation and large nuclear project management positions—all the way up to senior executive vice president of Areva. In this role, I led engineering and supply chain, and managed a $45-billion project portfolio spanning uranium conversion and enrichment and spent fuel recycling facilities as well as nuclear power plant life extension and new build projects in 13 different countries.
When I joined Bruce Power in 2019 as executive vice president of Projects and Engineering, I brought with me extensive global experience in the nuclear industry. My career has allowed me to take on a variety of exciting and challenging roles, and delivering large-scale, multibillion-dollar nuclear projects has been an important part of my journey.
Experiences in engineering, operations and large nuclear project management, and in executive positions within companies like Areva, Hitachi and Bechtel, have provided me with the hands-on experience needed to lead our organization as we explore the potential for adding up to 4,800 megawatts of new nuclear capacity on the Bruce Power site.
As I embark on my new role as president and CEO of Bruce Power, I look forward to utilizing my expertise and leadership capabilities as we continue to improve our site performance in our journey towards Excellence and deliver our Life-Extension Program and Major Component Replacement projects as well as explore the potential for new nuclear on the Bruce Power site.
What is the status of Bruce Power’s Life Extension program and MCR refurbishment project?
Chassard: Bruce Power is Ontario’s largest electricity generating facility, and our Life-Extension Program and Major Component Replacement (MCR) projects will play a key role in supporting growing electricity needs by extending the operation of our eight units to continue producing clean energy and cancer-fighting medical isotopes through 2064 and beyond.
In September 2023, we completed our first of six unit refurbishments when we returned Unit 6 to service ahead of schedule and on budget.
The Unit 3 MCR began in March 2023, and is utilizing innovation and leveraging experience gained throughout the Unit 6 MCR to realize efficiencies.
The Unit 4 MCR is the next step in Bruce Power’s Life-Extension Program, which is one of Canada’s largest private-sector clean energy projects. The unit will be removed from service in February 2025 for its refurbishment, and with two MCR outages in execution simultaneously, this will mark a very busy and exciting time for the site.
The renewed Unit 3 is scheduled to be back online in 2026, with Unit 4 following in 2028. Refurbishments will continue to overlap until the program’s completion in 2033, when Unit 8 is returned to service following its MCR.
With the pre-development work to study the feasibility of the option for a new nuclear build on the Bruce Power site underway, can you explain how this project could help address Ontario’s growing demand for clean electricity?
Chassard: As Ontario plans for substantial growth in electricity demand over the next three decades, the Bruce Power site represents a valuable option to expand Ontario’s fleet of clean, affordable and reliable nuclear power. As an established site, with room for growth, existing transmission corridors and the local expertise needed to successfully advance major nuclear projects, Bruce Power is in a unique position for potential expansion.
Bruce Power will undergo a federal Impact Assessment (IA) for up to 4,800 MWe of new nuclear capacity on the Bruce Power site—a project referred to as Bruce C. This work is an essential part of Ontario’s growth development plans and was outlined as a ‘no regret’ action by the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to create a valuable option for the province in future electricity planning and allow for faster implementation if a decision is made to advance a new build.
Ontario is forecast to double its electricity grid by 2050, and nuclear has the potential to play a vital role in helping expand the electricity system in Ontario.
How important is it for Bruce Power to support economic development within the local communities and First Nations?
Chassard: Bruce Power owes much of its success to the support from its surrounding communities, and we are proud to give back where we can and to create new economic opportunities throughout the region.
Bruce Power’s Life-Extension Program is one of Canada’s largest infrastructure projects and is a key driver of the local economy in Bruce, Grey and Huron counties, a region known as the Clean Energy Frontier. We work in close partnership with the Nuclear Innovation Institute through its Clean Energy Frontier Program to promote economic and community development, and to ensure the community benefits from Bruce Power’s operations.
Bruce Power is proud to foster meaningful partnerships with community organizations to support the great work that is being done to improve lives, protect the environment, celebrate culture, encourage education and build healthy communities.
We also look forward to building stronger relationships and deeper partnerships with Indigenous communities. In 2024, we announced a new approach to supplier engagement and Indigenous relations focused on community engagement, employment, training and cultural awareness. We are working with Indigenous partners and the supplier community to further develop this initiative for full implementation in 2025.
We also look forward to continuing—and expanding—our partnership with Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON) in the fight against cancer. Together, we have partnered on the Isotope Production System initiative, creating “Gamzook’aamin aakoziwin,” which translates to “We are teaming up to fight the sickness.”
SON and Bruce Power have been collaborating on this initiative since 2019, including jointly marketing new isotopes in the support of the global fight against cancer, while also working to create new economic opportunities within SON territory. In 2023, Bruce Power and SON began discussions on expansion opportunities for continued growth of this partnership as we look to further support the advancement of isotope innovation in Canada and continue the fight against cancer.
John Tenpenny is the Editor of ReNew Canada.
[This article appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of ReNew Canada.]
Featured image: Eric Chassard was promoted to the position of president and CEO of Bruce Power, effective July 1, 2024. (Bruce Power)
