Bruce Power is marking the 20th anniversary of the largest blackout in North American history.
It was a hot and muggy afternoon on August 14, 2003 when Ontario’s lights went out and air conditioners ground to a halt.
At 4:11 p.m. on that day, a series of power surges over a 12-second period triggered a cascade of shutdowns at more than 100 generating plants throughout eight U.S. states and Ontario. An estimated 50 million people, including 10 million Ontario residents and businesses, were suddenly without power when 61,800 Megawatts (MW) of generation disappeared.
Bruce Power led the recovery of Ontario’s electricity system, with three of Bruce B’s four units reconnected to the provincial grid within hours of the event, bringing power to Ontarians through the Bruce-Milton transmission line. The 2003 outage was the result of inadequate tree trimming in Ohio, along with a fragile power grid.
Former Ontario Premier Erie Eves visited Bruce Power shortly after the blackout.
“Nobody (worked) harder than you people have, and you did an excellent job," he said at the time. "I want you to know that we understand that and appreciate what you’ve done.”
Two decades later, the province's electricity grid is much more reliable, and Bruce Power played a role by returning its four Bruce A units to service over the decade following the blackout.
“Since 2003, Bruce Power has more than doubled its output of clean, reliable energy, serving people, businesses and hospitals across Ontario and continues to grow,” said Mike Rencheck, Bruce Power’s President and CEO. “The province has made great strides since the 2003 blackout to ensure that our grid is clean and reliable, and it has made commitments to ensuring that will continue as electricity demand continues to grow in the decades to come.”
The plan launched the long-term planning and consultation work required to explore nuclear expansion options at the Bruce nuclear site and beyond.
“Bruce Power is here for the people of Ontario, just like it was 20 years ago,” Rencheck added. “We’re working to extend the life of our units and optimize our existing assets so we can meet the rapidly growing demand for clean energy. We’re excited about indigenous/community engagement and involvement as we consider what the future might hold for the Bruce site and explore further opportunities to increase our output.”
