Bruce Power statement on OPA Granting of Force Majeure claim

The background: 4 units are at Bruce A, 2 of which have not operated since the 1990's.  Those were to have refurbishments completed by July 1st 2012, or rates for all Bruce A units were to revert to the market rate - which since July 1st has been about half of the contracted rate.

Bruce Power statement on Force Majeure claim | Bruce Power:

August 9, 2012 – Bruce Power has received confirmation from the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) that a Force Majeure (FM) claim under the Bruce Power Refurbishment Implementation Agreement (BPRIA), related to Unit 2, has been accepted...

Following discussions with the OPA during this process, Bruce Power has also made a number of operational adjustments for 2012. Bruce Power is executing an expanded outage investment program on Unit 4, in support of extending the life of the unit to the end of decade, at a cost to Bruce Power of $120 million. The work program will involve 800 temporary workers at peak and will be completed in the fourth quarter.
This will align the lifespan of Unit 4 with Unit 3, which recently underwent a $300 million investment program to extend its life by up to an additional 10 years. The operational alignment of Units 3 and 4 is an important component of future refurbishment planning on the Bruce Power site.

The full press release can be read at Bruce Power

The issue is largely Unit 2. Bruce Power has blamed a contractor, Siemens, for the delay in startup.  Siemens is not only a very large contractor, they are also one that recently disentangled itself from a nuclear project in Finland experiencing many delays - and is again being a loyal German corporate citizen in now exiting the nuclear business altogether.  The extent to which Bruce Power is the one being bailed out is unclear, as Siemens may be the reason to manage the optics, having recently announced wind turbine manufacturing jobs in Ontario, which the government publicizes, just shortly after shuttering a Hamilton plant for gas turbines.

Regardless, the compromise seems to be that Bruce Unit 4 is now shut down to perform long-term work ... leaving only unit 3 currently operating, and therefore limiting the difference between granting the "Force Majeure" claim, and not doing so.