Transparency, renewable energy and small reactors to help NB Power | New Brunswick Elections 2024

NB Power is drowning in billions of debt. The future looks difficult for New Brunswick’s electricity supplier as demand continues to increase. In the midst of an election campaign, political parties are proposing ways to help NB Power.

Challenges are piling up for the Crown corporation. Breakdowns at the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant are increasing. It has been shut down since March, and will not be reactivated until November.

The Mactaquac Dam is due for repairs that could cost $5 billion to $7 billion.

The Belledune power station must stop using coal as fuel by 2030. NB Power is evaluating the possibility of converting it to wood pellets. No costs have been announced at this time.

These infrastructures are aging and require costly work, summarizes Normand Mousseau, scientific director at the Trottier Energy Institute in Montreal. On top of that, NB Power’s debt stands at over $5.4 billion.

It’s all a lot to take in at once.

According to him, we must therefore prepare for an increase in prices, because future expenses will have to be paid one day or another by electricity consumers.

However, it’s not insurmountablehe assures, particularly since several investments will be amortized over several years.

Lack of transparency

The Liberal Party candidate in Bathurst, former energy spokesperson, René Legacy, deplores that it is difficult for him to comment on several issues, because he lacks information.

According to him, the province or an independent expert should be able to have an overview of what is happening at NB Power.

We are asking NB Power to operate, to self-evaluate, to provide their solutions, to evaluate their solutions and to tell us how things are going. We have no one who has a right of inspection.

He must want to make NB Power as transparent as possiblebut that he cannot advance as far as he could go.

It’s very difficult to commit myself and say that we are going to make this completely transparent, so that then, if we enter the government, they will tell me: “no, no, we are going to be prosecuted”.

Renewable energies, says the Green Party

David Coon, the leader of the Green Party, regularly repeats that NB Power must abandon nuclear energy for renewable energy sources, for example wind and solar.

He attributes a large part of NB Power’s debt to the frequent shutdowns of the Point Lepreau generating station. According to him, it is necessary transition to a system with renewable and intelligent energy sources.

He does not close the door to Fredericton coming to the aid of NB Power by providing funding, but it’s not clear nowhe said.

Small nuclear reactors

NB Power says it needs two small nuclear reactors (SMRs) by the early 2030s to meet the province’s growing electricity needs.

David Coon rejects PRM. It’s experimental. So expensive. It was a dream for liberals and conservatives, but not for us.

Fredericton was banking on two companies, ARC and Moltex, to supply the two reactors expected by NB Power.

René Legacy believes that New Brunswick should not limit itself to these companies to ensure its electricity supply.

We cannot limit ourselves to one or two choices. We must seek out what is best for the population and the company.

26 technologies the PRM under study, says Blaine Higgs

Contacted for the first time on September 26, the outgoing Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Development, Hugh Flemming could not make himself available for an interview. The Progressive Conservative Party did not offer other candidates for an interview on the subject.

Questioned during a press conference, Blaine Higgs indicated that the province was going to look outside to find a PRM by 2030.

We are currently evaluating 26 technologies PRMindicated the outgoing Prime Minister.

I think there is an opportunity to study Gen III, which would basically be a scaled-down version of the CANDU model.he added

CANDU is the model of the nuclear reactor at the Point Lepreau power station.