Point Lepreau Generating Station update

11 June 2014

FREDERICTON (GNB) – Progress is being made on work related to the planned maintenance outage at the Point Lepreau Generating Station.

“We are closely tracking the progress that our team continues to make on the complex maintenance and inspections underway,” said Sean Granville, site vice-president and chief nuclear officer. “We are currently finishing up many of the major scheduled activities that will ensure continued safe and reliable operation of the unit. Once all necessary work is completed safely and with quality, we will restart the plant and reconnect to the grid to continue delivering valuable energy to our customers.”

Planned outages are part of every generating station’s maintenance cycle and the typical frequency for the nuclear industry is every two years. These outages are timed with other factors to ensure the least financial impact to the utility and to meet the electricity requirements of NB Power customers. Outage work includes a wide variety of maintenance and inspection activities on both the nuclear and conventional sides of the plant, as well as upgrades related to fire safety and emergency preparedness.

About 250 contract workers from across New Brunswick have been supporting various outage activities, ranging from engineering to trades work. These supplemental workers are expected to complete about 238,000 hours by the end of the outage.

The station was declared commercially operational in November 2012 after undergoing a major overhaul. The 660 megawatt (net) nuclear generating station is a base load contributor to the New Brunswick electrical grid, producing enough electricity to power more than 333,000 homes per year for the next 25 to 30 years. The facility is a foundational piece of the company’s domestic energy supply and export sales; provides rate stability and the financial flexibility to begin reducing debt. The refurbishment of the station once again positions NB Power as a utility with a world-class nuclear facility and a highly-skilled workforce.

Point Lepreau is a major component of the generating assets that will contribute to the provincial goal of having as much as 75 percent of the electricity used in New Brunswick coming from clean, renewable or non-emitting sources by 2020.

Media Contact(s)

Kathleen Duguay, nuclear affairs and community relations, NB Power, 506-647-8057.