Amid skepticism, N.B. leader shops for 2nd nuclear reactor

FREDERICTON, New Brunswick – Even as Premier Shawn Graham kicks the tires on a possible French-made nuclear reactor for New Brunswick, at least one energy expert is skeptical a second nuclear generating station will ever see the light of day in the province.

David Coon of the New Brunswick Conservation Council said Monday there are too many barriers to the sale of the province’s nuclear power in the United States to permit a multibillion-dollar expansion at the Point Lepreau nuclear station on the Bay of Fundy, less than 30 miles from Maine.

“It’s pie in the sky at this point,” Coon said in an interview.

“There’s no capacity to get that much power into New England because of the lack of transmission capacity in southern Maine. They would need a dedicated undersea power line that goes to New York.”

Coon also doubts New England utilities would be interested in signing the 20-year contracts that would be necessary to cover the enormous financial risk associated with an expansion at Point Lepreau – the only nuclear reactor in Atlantic Canada.

“It’s an open market down there, so why would anyone lock themselves in for 20 years?” Coon said.

Graham is heading to Paris this week to meet with the president of Areva, a French state-controlled company that is one of three possible contenders for any second reactor at Lepreau.

The provincial government has committed to a feasibility study on a second reactor, but it’s a long way from deciding whether to go ahead with a project.

Graham describes his trip to France as “research” into a possible competitive process.

“We want to see competition between different bids if our government makes a decision to move forward with the development of a new nuclear power plant,” Graham said.

“All options are on the table now for investigation.”

The trip signals the province’s intention to consider options other than a Canadian-made Candu reactor, which is the model used in every nuclear station in Canada.

The province of Ontario, which also is shopping for new reactors, has said that while it would prefer to select homegrown technology, it is open to choosing a foreign reactor design such as from France’s Areva or U.S.-based General Electric Co. if it means getting the best deal for Ontario taxpayers.

Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. has high hopes that Ontario will choose its third-generation advanced Candu reactor, making it clear that without such a deal, future international sales of the new reactor will be in jeopardy.

AECL did not return phone calls Monday.

Coon said that although he doesn’t believe a second reactor will be built, he wonders why any province would opt for a Candu with its many technical problems and high rate of repair.

“The experience with the Candu reactor hasn’t been a particularly happy one,” he said.

“There are problems with reliability of the Candu after about 12 years of use. If you’re building something, why go back to something that has already given you trouble?”

But industry experts suspect the Candu ultimately would win out, if New Brunswick decides to go ahead with a second reactor.

“It’s all about performance,” said John Froats, president of Candu Owners Group Inc., an organization representing Candu operators around the world.

“We have a Candu option we can put on the table and, I think, compare favorably with other energy options. Our performance speaks for itself in the industry.”