A radioactive heavy water leak at Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station (PLNGS) has forced the site offline with no word on when it will resume generating power for New Brunswickers. On Sept, 14, NB Power announced the station was taken offline to repair a small instrumentation line inside the reactor building, but made no mention of radioactive material. On Monday the utility told CTV Atlantic about 200 litres of heavy water, which becomes radioactive within a nuclear plants heat transport system, had leaked into a containment area within the reactor building per the station’s design. NB Power assures there is no risk to worker safety, the public, or the environment as a result of the leak. Point Lepreau deputy vice-president Joel Armstrong says Point Lepreau’s reactor supports four steam generators, which are leveraged to transport heat out of the reactor core and generate steam to turn the turbines at the site. “The system that takes the heat from our reactor and transports it to the steam generators is the one that we’ve been waiting for a repair on, and that’s the heat transport system,” Armstrong details. “That system is a class one system, one of the most important systems at Point Lepreau, and it has very high levels of instrumentation as a result of that. So, the leak that occurred at Point Lepreau is not directly in relation to a main process line on the heat transport system, but an instrument line that helps us have eyes and ears on the performance of that system at all times.” When asked if any workers were exposed to vapour from the heavy water, the utility says all staff follow strict protocols including the wearing of proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and no staff have show an increased radiation level. Point Lepreau officials say there are numerous checkpoints for staff to check the radiation levels throughout the facility. ‘A thorough assessment’ In an email to CTV Atlantic the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) says it first learned of the small heavy water leak within the plant’s containment structure on Sept. 10. “CNSC site inspectors are stationed at PLNGS on a permanent basis, and are able to quickly monitor and assess any situation as it arises,” CNSC spokesperson Sarah Dolan said in an email. “We are engaged with NB Power as it conducts a thorough assessment of the incident and undertakes the necessary repair activities. There has been no impact on the safety of workers, the public or the environment, and no workers have been reported to have received radiation doses above regulatory limits.” The CNSC says it will continue to oversee the licensee’s response and review the results of the ongoing assessment. “When we had our first indication of a potential leak, we were still looking to validate exactly the leak source and the process fluid associated,” says Armstrong when asked why they did not initially share with the public the leak involved radioactivity. “Part of the complexity of this repair has been access to the repair location. So, we had to facilitate an orderly shutdown which our operations team did safely and effectively and then construct scaffold in order to even gain access to the location. That took some time for us to understand exactly what we were dealing with.” Armstrong did not provide a definitive timeline when asked when the station will resume power generation but says crews will not rush the work to ensure the leak is properly addressed. Previous shutdowns After coming back online following a planned four-month outage on Aug. 19, Point Lepreau was taken back offline a little more than a week later to repair a gasket on the turbine system. The station reconnected to the province’s power grid on Sept. 8, but was brought back offline again just a few days later with this latest issue. Rural Community of Fundy Shores Mayor George “Denny” Cogswell says the shutdowns are nothing new for residents who live around the plant. He believes nuclear generation is an important aspect for the province’s energy future but wonders how much more should be spent on the aging facility at Lepreau. “I think we’re spending more money on breakdowns, when we could just be putting it into whether it’s another large-scale model reactor or small modular reactors,” Cogswell says. “I think now is the time that we have to start building, and I think both federal and provincial governments need to come on board and start getting that in the right direction.” For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
