Nuclear

Nuclear energy has been part of New Brunswick’s energy story for over 25 years and will play an even larger role in the future. With a major reactor refurbishment now underway and plans to build additional reactor capacity maturing rapidly, Atlantic Canada’s nuclear research and production community is poised for even more growth and diversification.

New Brunswick is the only province in Atlantic Canada licensed to operate a nuclear power facility. The Point Lepreau Generating Station, the only nuclear generating station in the region, is a vital part of the local energy mix. Located near Saint John, the station has been a significant source of power generation for the province of New Brunswick, producing 680MW of greenhouse gas-neutral energy, which accounts for up to 30% of the province’s energy needs.

The 700 people employed at Point Lepreau provide the region with nearly $70 million in income and establish a solid base for the region’s nuclear research and production community.

Point Lepreau uses the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited’s (AECL) CANDU-6 pressurized heavy water technology. AECL, a world leader in nuclear technology, has built its CANDU-6 reactors around the world, including Korea, Argentina, Romania, and China. Point Lepreau was the first CANDU-6 reactor completed, beginning operation in February 1983. Now, after 25 years of operation, it is the first CANDU-6 reactor to undergo a refurbishment.

Although the station has been performing well for the past 25 years, it has reached a point where key components must be replaced and upgraded. The $1.4 billion refurbishment project will prolong the life of the station by up to 30 years and will assure the region on-going expertise in the re-emerging nuclear energy sector. The refurbishment will create over 1500 construction jobs at its peak during the plant’s shutdown from April 2008 to September 2009. Supply chain benefits are already visible, highlighted by recent contract announcements of $10 million for Sunny Corner Mechanical and $40 million for Lorneville Mechanical Contractors.

The success of the refurbishment project has the potential to sustain and expand the nuclear expertise in the region, which could lead the Province of New Brunswick to proceed with plans for additional reactor capacity at Point Lepreau. The Province of New Brunswick received Team CANDU New Brunswick’s feasibility study in 2007 and has since hired a third-party consulting firm to perform a viability study to examine the possibility of a second reactor for the province. The proposed second reactor, Point Lepreau II, would involve an estimated $4 billion investment in next generation technology and create approximately 4000 construction jobs and 500 permanent operating positions.

Team CANDU New Brunswick’s feasibility study examined the use of AECL’s ACR-1000, the next generation in CANDU technology. The ACR-1000 (Advanced CANDU Reactor) is still in development stages, with an expected in-service date of 2016. The reactor would retain the benefits of the CANDU technology and would improve on efficiency, lengthen the life-span of the reactor, and increase reactor capacity to a projected 1080MW.