NB Power seeks unprecedented 25-year licence for Point Lepreau nuclear power station
The licence for Atlantic Canada's only nuclear power generating station expires in June, and the New Brunswick Crown corporation that operates the aging CANDU-6 reactor is seeking to renew it for an unprecedented 25-year term.
The last two licences to operate the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station, located about 40 km southwest of Saint John, N.B., were for five years each.
"We are asking for a 25-year licence, which would be a first in Canada, based on some improvements that the regulator has made, but also on the very strong safety and reliability performance that we've seen from all the Canadian nuclear stations," Jason Nouwens, director of regulatory and external affairs for NB Power, told reporters in a briefing on Friday.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has scheduled the first phase of the application hearing on Wednesday in Ottawa.
Gail Wylie with the Coalition for Responsible Energy Development called the request for a 25-year licence "really absurd."
Wylie will be one of the public interveners when the safety commission holds the second phase of the application hearings in Saint John in May.
"We are very much interested in renewable energy because we know it's clean and we know the problems and history of nuclear energy here," she said in a recent interview. "Nuclear inherently has got its risks and the radioactive waste."
Wylie said she's concerned that extending the life of the 660-megawatt nuclear generator will slow the transition to what she calls cleaner and cheaper forms of renewable energy.
Point Lepreau opened in 1983 and operated until 2008, when it closed for a major refurbishment intended to extend its lifespan by 25 years. It was reconnected to the power grid in October 2012.
Wylie said NB Power's request for a licence until 2047 exceeds the lifespan targets that were announced after the refurbishment. She said she plans to ask questions about how the utility is dealing with staffing levels during the COVID-19 pandemic, threats of cyberattacks, and impacts of climate change.
Wylie also wants to know about how plans to develop advanced small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) on the Lepreau site will impact the operation of the main reactor. Two companies, Moltex and ARC, are working with NB Power to develop the portable reactor technology.
Nouwens, however, said the licence application doesn't include development of SMRs.
"The re-licensing process for Point Lepreau is completely separate from any licensing process for SMRs," he said. "Our 25-year licence renewal covers the scope of what's currently at Point Lepreau and what the plans would be for our current station operations."
Saint John-based clean air activist Gordon Dalzell was a longtime opponent of nuclear energy, but his position has changed.
Dalzell said he believes there's a role for nuclear power to play in helping meet energy demand as the province tries to transition to more renewable sources such as wind and solar.
Still, he believes a 25-year licence renewal is too long.
"It's in the public's interest for maybe 10 years," he said in a recent interview. "That's when we're going to learn a lot more about the small modular reactors and their development and their relationship with Point Lepreau."
But Nouwens is defending the 25-year request, noting that many other countries have longer licence terms. The United States, he said. awards 40-year licences for new nuclear reactors.
He said the safety commission has permanent staff on site at Point Lepreau who can shut it down if they feel anything is unsafe.
Like Wylie, Dalzell said he also plans to ask questions about climate change and about how Point Lepreau's location on the shore of the Bay of Fundy could be affected by sea-level rise and extreme weather events.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
BREAKING B.C.'s short-term rental regulations include $10K daily penalties for Airbnb, other platforms
Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.
Closing arguments heard in trial for Sask. dad accused of abducting daughter
Closing arguments were heard Thursday morning in the case of Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter in 2021 to keep her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.