NB Power and Ontario Power Generation talk Point Lepreau partnership
NB Power is pitching a new partnership with an Ontario electrical utility, which could include management or ownership of Atlantic Canada’s only nuclear generating plant.
The Maritime utility is confirming discussions with Ontario Power Generation (OPG) about the possibility of sharing duties at the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station, 35 minutes west of Saint John.
“All possible options are being considered as we lay out a path for a very different future that will ensure we have affordable, safe and reliable electricity for our customers and improved financial health,” said NB Power spokesperson Dominique Couture in a written statement.
“While this partnership is still at the exploration stage, we have a long-standing relationship with OPG, and we know them to be good partners, allies and colleagues. Any partnership would be a win-win relationship, established in the best interests of both Ontario and New Brunswick.”
NB Power and Ontario Power Generation are both provincial crown corporations. OPG operates two of Ontario’s three nuclear generating plants.
Premier Blaine Higgs said discussions between NB Power and OPG could include a management or ownership agreement at Point Lepreau.
NB Power and Higgs’ acknowledgement of discussions between the provinces came after Liberal energy critic Keith Chiasson brought it up during question period on Wednesday morning.
Chiasson referenced a company e-mail from Ontario Power Generation CEO Ken Hartwick, announcing the negotiations to OPG staff.
“The reason I brought it up in the house today was just about transparency,” said Chiasson. “If there are negotiations going on with OPG, I think we should know as stakeholders of NB Power.”
The Point Lepreau CANDU nuclear reactor began producing electricity in 1983. Last summer, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission extended the plant’s operating licence until 2033.
Several breakdowns and cost overruns at Point Lepreau have added to NB Power’s $5 billion debt. NB Power is proposing a rate increase for customers amounting to 4.8 per cent beginning next month, pending approval from the province’s Energy and Utilities Board.
The EUB rejected NB Power’s initial rate increase request of 8.9 per cent.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
'What have we done?' Lawyer describes shock at possible role in Trump's 2016 victory
A lawyer who negotiated a pair of hush money deals at the centre of Donald Trump's criminal trial recalled Thursday his "gallows humor" reaction to Trump's 2016 election victory and the realization that his hidden-hand efforts might have contributed to the win.
Conservative MP says Chinese hacking attack targeted his personal email
A Conservative MP is challenging claims by House of Commons administration that a China-backed hacking attempt did not impact any members of Parliament, because the attack was on his personal email.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
New scam targets Canada Carbon Rebate recipients
Fake text message and email campaigns trying to get money and information out of unsuspecting Canadian taxpayers have started circulating, just months after the federal government rebranded the carbon tax rebate the Canada Carbon Rebate.
Loblaw leaders call criticism 'misguided,' say they aren't to blame for high food prices
Loblaw chairman Galen Weston and the company's new CEO are pushing back against critics who blame the grocery giant for soaring food prices, as a month-long boycott of the retailer gets underway.
Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
'Giant-killer' Kazushi Kimura to race in Kentucky Derby this weekend: 'I'm representing Canada and Japan'
Six years ago, at age 18, Kazushi Kimura left his home and family behind in Hokkaido, Japan to chase a dream. This weekend, he'll ride in the Kentucky Derby.