Bruce A — Canada
Nuclear power plant in Ontario, Canada. Approximate location 44.3391, -81.5747.
NuclearOntarioCanadaCANDU 200pressurized heavy water reactor
Bruce A is a 3,220 MW nuclear power station in Ontario, Canada. It is operated by Bruce Power LP. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 7.3 million homes (estimated). It ranks #5 of 1,210 Canada power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1977, it is around 49 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, nuclear supplies about 13.1% of Canada's electricity; the national grid averages 191 gCO₂/kWh (77.0% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CAN0002030.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000500123; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 3,220 MW, Bruce A is well above the median nuclear plant in Canada (941 MW). Technically it is described as pressurized heavy water reactor. Nuclear plants split uranium to raise steam with no direct CO₂; they run as steady baseload with very high capacity factors and the longest operating lifetimes of any thermal plant.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of Canada nuclear capacity
- 15.8% of 20,406 MW across 15 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 3 of 9 dated nuclear plants in Canada are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest nuclear plants in Canada
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Bruce Power LP.
Local climate & thermal context
This nuclear plant uses heat from nuclear fission to raise steam for a turbine-generator. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 44.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 68% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.
Climate heat-demand index: 86/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.
Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.
Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.
How it compares & nearby plants
The #3 largest nuclear power plant of 15 in Canada by capacity.
Canada has 15 nuclear power plants in this dataset, together about 20,406 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
Location
Coordinates 44.3391, -81.5747 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Bruce A?
Bruce A is a 3,220 MW nuclear power plant in Ontario, Canada, commissioned in 1977.
Who operates Bruce A?
Bruce A is operated by Bruce Power LP.