Point Lepreau Generating Station
Point Lepreau Generating Station
Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station (PLNGS) currently holds a five-year operating licence, which expires at the end of June 2022.
New Brunswick Power Corporation (NB Power) owns and operates PLNGS, which is located on the shores of the Bay of Fundy, approximately 40 km west of Saint John, New Brunswick. NB Power also operates a nuclear waste management facility at the station. The CNSC site office at PLNGS has permanent CNSC staff who perform inspections to evaluate operations and to verify compliance with regulatory requirements and licence conditions.
View of the Point Lepreau Generating Station
Focus on safety and the environment
The CNSC is committed to protecting the safety of people and the environment. Click below for current environmental and safety performance data for Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station.
- CNSC Regulatory Oversight Report for Canadian Nuclear Power Plants
- CNSC Independent Environmental Monitoring Program data
- Federal, provincial and municipal monitoring programs
- Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station Probabilistic Safety Assessment
- Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station Seismic Hazard Assessment
- Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station Environmental Protection Report
- Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station Validation of Entrainment and Impingement Predictions
- Plant Information
- Emergency preparedness
- Periodic safety review
- Environmental risk assessment
- Fisheries Act authorization
- Latest CNSC facility-specific announcements
- Latest Licensee Public Disclosures
- Regulatory Reporting
- Key Topics
Plant Information
Location: Point Lepreau, New Brunswick
Operator: NB Power
Reactor type: CANDU (CANada Deuterium Uranium)
Vendor: Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
Number of units: 1 reactor
Installed capacity: 705 MWe
Status: Operating
Licence issued: July 1, 2017
Licence expires:June 30, 2022
Start of commercial operation: February 1, 1983
Return to service following refurbishment: November 23, 2012
Reactor building containment: Low-pressure containment, pre-stressed concrete vessel
Licensing documentation: Request a copy of the Point Lepreau licence and licence condition handbook by email
Public Commission hearings and the Participant Funding Program
The CNSC held a two-part public hearing to consider an application from NB Power to renew its nuclear power reactor operating licence for the PLNGS. NB Power was granted a new licence on July 1, 2017.
The CNSC invited members of the public, Indigenous groups and other stakeholders who expressed interest or concerns related to the operation of PLNGS to intervene on NB Power’s licence application. The CNSC also offered funding through its Participant Funding Program to assist in reviewing NB Power’s application and associated documents and providing topic-specific interventions or expert opinion to the Commission.
Emergency preparedness
The CNSC requires nuclear power plants to conduct a full-scale emergency exercise every three years to test emergency response plans, decision-making functions, response capabilities and interoperability. The goal is to test the licensee, response agencies, and municipal, provincial and federal government responders’ ability to mitigate the impact of a nuclear accident.
If you live within approximately 20 km of the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station, you will have received information about what to do in the unlikely event of a nuclear accident from NB Power. For more information, visit NB Power’s Nuclear Preparedness Guide.
When you receive this information, read it carefully and store it in an easily accessible place. You can also attend public information sessions held by local authorities and NB Power. For more information on nuclear emergency preparedness, consult the Province of New Brunswick’s Point Lepreau Nuclear Off-Site Emergency Plan.
For more information on CNSC requirements, consult REGDOC-2.10.1, Nuclear Emergency Preparedness and Response.
As with any emergency, you can prepare your family by:
Periodic safety review
A periodic safety review (PSR) is a comprehensive review of plant design and processes. Considered an international best practice, the CNSC adopted it in 2015. The purpose of a PSR is to compare current design with modern codes and standards in order to identify reasonable and practical plant or program modifications for enhancing safety and enabling safe, long-term operation. As part of the licensing conditions set out by the CNSC, licensees for all Canadian nuclear power plants are required to conduct PSRs every 10 years at each facility.
The licensees conduct PSRs in addition to reviews of the overall safety performance of their facilities, a practice that incorporates reviews of several safety factors.
CNSC regulatory document REGDOC-2.3.3, Periodic Safety Reviews, requires the PSR to be conducted in four phases. PLNGS is currently undergoing a PSR. NB Power submitted a PSR basis document on March 15, 2018 for PLNGS, which is currently undergoing CNSC staff reviews and comments. (phase 1).
CNSC staff thoroughly review all phases of the PSR submissions before proceeding to the subsequent phase; the PSR phases are as follows:
- Phase 1: review and acceptance of the PSR basis document, an agreement between NB Power and the CNSC on how the PSR will be conducted
- Phase 2: conduct of the safety factors reviews and identification of findings
- Phase 3: analysis of the findings and their global impact on the PLNGS safe long term operation (global assessment report or GAR)
- Phase 4: preparation of the safety improvements plan (integrated implementation plan)
To request the following CNSC acceptance letters pertaining to PSR, please contact cnsc.info.ccsn@canada.ca.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2018-09-30 | CNSC Acceptance of PLNGS periodic safety review basis document |
| 2019-06-30 | CNSC review of PLNGS periodic safety review – safety factor reports |
| 2020-12-31 | CNSC review of global assessment report and integrated implementation plan |
| 2021-06-30 | CNSC Acceptance of the integrated implementation plan |
Environmental risk assessment
An environmental risk assessment (ERA) is a systematic process used to identify, quantify and characterize the risk posed by contaminants and physical stressors in the environment to biological receptors, including humans.
The ERA for PLNGS assesses the potential risks for the current whole-site operation and additional facilities, to determine the potential risks to the environment and human health from current operations.
This ERA is underway and will be submitted to the CNSC for review upon completion, along with the application for the renewal of the power reactor operating licence.
To view the following CNSC review letters pertaining to the ERA, please contact cnsc.info.ccsn@canada.ca.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2020-06-30 | Application for the renewal of the power reactor operating licence |
| 2020-06-30 | NB Power: PLNGS environmental risk assessment |
Fisheries Act authorization
In accordance with the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, CNSC staff continuously review impacts to the environment, including impacts to fish and fish habitat. The CNSC ensures that its reviews take into consideration the requirements of the revised Fisheries Act, per a memorandum of understanding with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Based on NB Power’s 2013–15 fish monitoring results, CNSC staff submitted its review to Fisheries and Oceans Canada on the effects due to impingement and entrainment at the PLNGS facility. Fisheries and Oceans Canada then determined that PLNGS requires an authorization under section 35 of the Fisheries Act, in which NB Power is to assess and implement measures to mitigate the death of fish due to impingement and entrainment at the station’s cooling-water intake .
PLNGS Fisheries Act authorization timeline
| Completion date | Milestone (completed or anticipated | Lead |
|---|---|---|
| 2017-04-04 | CNSC determined operations requires authorization from Fisheries and Oceans Canada | CNSC |
| 2017-07-05 | Fisheries and Oceans Canada notified NB Power of the requirement for authorization in order to comply with the Fisheries Act | Fisheries and Oceans Canada |
| 2017-08-31 | CNSC distributed notification letter to interested Indigenous groups. The letter pertains to the application for authorization from Fisheries and Oceans Canada and includes information on the review process | CNSC |
| 2017-08-27 | NB Power submitted its proposed draft application for authorization to Fisheries and Oceans Canada | NB Power |
| 2018-04-26 | CNSC staff completed their concordance review of proposed application and provided their comments to NB Power | CNSC |
| 2018-12-31 | NB Power to submit application to Fisheries and Oceans Canada following confirmation from the CNSC that the application is complete | NB Power |
Latest CNSC Plant-Specific Communications
- May 3, 2018: CNSC releases 2017 Independent Environmental Monitoring Program results for the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Site. Results confirm that the public and the environment around this site are protected.
- June 15, 2017: CNSC renews NB Power’s operating licence for the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station
- May 4, 2017: CNSC releases 2016 Independent Environmental Monitoring Program results for the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station
- July 7, 2016: NB Power’s update on its Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station
- June 27, 2016: CNSC releases 2014 and 2015 Independent Environmental Monitoring Program results for the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station
- November 2, 2012: CNSC Gives Point Lepreau Final Green Light
- February 17, 2012: CNSC Announces Decision to Renew the Power Reactor Operating Licence for the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station and Grant NB Power Nuclear Permission to Proceed with the Fuel Reload and Restart of the Reactor
Latest Licensee Public Disclosures
As part of CNSC's regulatory requirements, major licensees must have robust public information and disclosure programs in place. These programs, for nuclear power plants, include a disclosure protocol developed in consultation with community stakeholders. You may visit NB Power's Web site for a full list of disclosures.
Regulatory Reporting
- Disclosure protocol (source: NB Power)
- Event reports-S99 (source: NB Power)
- Environmental monitoring data (source: NB Power)
- Regulatory oversight report for Canadian nuclear power plants
- Regulatory actions
- Most Recent CNSC Power Reactor Status Report (This report is prepared to update Commission members during most public meetings)
CNSC inspector on the job at NB Power's Point Lepreau Generating Station
Key Topics
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