 Home > Community > Messages from the Project Team
Messages from the Project Team
Previous Messages:
Message from the Refurbishment Project Director - Winter 2007
Congratulations to the staff at Nuclearco, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) and their contractors, who recently completed civil construction activities at the Solid Radioactive Waste Management Facility extension at the Point Lepreau Generating Station. The Solid Radioactive Waste Management Facility will be used to store waste generated during refurbishment and the extended operation of the station.
This successful construction project follows months of detailed preparations and planning. It began with the development of the Construction Environmental Protection Program in 2005. In mid-March 2006, Nuclearco and AECL staff began mobilizing equipment, facilities and staff so that following approval from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission on March 21, 2006, construction activities could begin.
All staff received the appropriate training and site orientation, in accordance with Station expectations and the Construction Environmental Protection Program. Training took place both at AECL’s Saint John office and on-site at Point Lepreau Generating Station.
In April 2006, preparation activities such as tree cutting, brush clearing and rock breaking began. In doing this, staff had to ensure that they were in compliance with environmental regulations. The very first concrete pour for the retube waste canisters took place on May 11, 2006.
The construction included activities in three phases of the Solid Radioactive Waste Management Facility site:
Phase I
- completed construction of two new vault structures with provision to build two more on an as-needed basis for storage of low and intermediate radioactive waste
- commissioning of this area is on-going
Phase II
- completed ground clearing and preparation for future dry used fuel storage
- placed, levelled and compacted approved granular fill in the area
Phase III
- completed construction of five retube waste canister structures (high radioactive waste) and two vault structures (low and intermediate radioactive waste)
- completed installation of monitoring equipment, administrative facilities, fencing and lighting for the area
Paving and installation of the crane and control systems will take place in spring 2007, and commissioning will take place in summer 2007. Training and preparations for the turnover to operations will take place prior to the refurbishment outage in spring 2008. Nuclearco staff now has 13 months remaining until the refurbishment outage, which will begin in April 2008. The timely completion of these activities is another demonstration of Nuclearco’s commitment to completing the refurbishment project safely, on time and on budget.
For further information or updates, please contact Katherine French, Communications Officer, at (506) 638-5309.
Sincerely,
Rod Eagles
Refurbishment Project Director
NB Power Nuclear Corporation
Message from the Refurbishment Project Director - Fall 2006
Refurbishment project activities are on-going and remain on time and on schedule due to the combined efforts of the NB Power Nuclear and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) team.
The construction of the Solid Radioactive Waste Management Facility extension is progressing well in all three phases. The Phase I extension, which will be used to store low and intermediate waste, is now complete and commissioning will begin shortly. The paving and fencing is complete in this area. The Phase II extension has been excavated for future expansion of the dry fuel canisters and the Phase III development, which consists of the construction of the retube waste canisters, is nearing completion. Concrete pouring for the vault walls is complete, top slabs for the five retube waste canisters have been poured and handrails and latters are now being installed. Preparations for paving and fencing of the Phase III site have also begun. The civil portion of construction is expected to be completed by December 31st, 2006, with some of the mechanical work and commissioning activities continuing into 2007.
The retube portion of the project is progressing well, with great emphasis being placed on the speciality tooling development. For both the retube and refurbishment activities the majority of major materials have been ordered, including pressure tubes, calandria tubes, end fittings, feeder material, other fuel channel components, as well as the shutdown system computers. Orders of major material for the turbine and generator equipment have also been completed.
Other refurbishment activities include the preparation of lay-up procedures, the development of return to service procedures and the development of the commissioning program.
Construction of the new office building is well underway. The sub-structure, structural steel, floor decking and pouring of the ground, second and third floor slabs is complete. The roof installation is near completion and the bricklaying is underway. The new office building is expected to be occupied by the summer of 2007.
If you have any questions on the project or would like additional information, please contact Katherine French, Communications Officer, at (506) 638-5309.
Sincerely,
Rod Eagles
Refurbishment Project Director
NB Power Nuclear Corporation
Message from the AECL Project Director - Summer 2006
It is hard to believe that it has already been one year since the New Brunswick government announced it was proceeding with the refurbishment of the Point Lepreau Generating Station, but I am delighted to report that the project is progressing very well, with activities proceeding on time and on budget.
Thanks to the outstanding efforts of our staff and our close collaboration with our client, New Brunswick Power, the project is well on its way. We are focused on hiring the right people, securing top-notch suppliers, and meeting and delivering on each of our project milestones with excellence.
Among the highlights of the past year is the opening of our Bayside Drive office in Saint John. Operational since mid-January, the AECL office is home to 37 full-time employees – 25 of whom were recruited locally. In addition to seasoned professionals, the expanded team includes many recent graduates from New Brunswick universities and community colleges.
AECL is working closely with Business New Brunswick to ensure that suppliers in the province are notified when contracts come up for bid. Major contracts awarded in New Brunswick during the past year include Arvin Machine Works Inc. of Miramichi, for construction of fuel channels mock-up; Opron Maritimes Construction of Saint John, for the civil portion of the Solid Radioactive Waste Management Facility (SRWMF); Sunny Corner Enterprises of Miramichi City, for mechanical components for the SRWMF and xwave of Saint John, for IT installation and service requirements.
More recently, we marked a major milestone in the project when we began construction on the waste management facility, which will store removed highly radioactive material such as the pressure tubes from the reactor core, associated feeder pipes and a number of plant components. And, just last month, we took possession of approximately 55,000 square feet of fabrication and warehouse space at our Bayside facility, which will include a clean room for the assembly of components to be used during the refurbishment.
As the Point Lepreau project heads into its second year, I would like to once again recognize and praise all of the staff who have been involved in making this project run smoothly, from the people directly involved in the refurbishment to those providing support within the rest of the AECL organization. Congratulations to all. I look forward to keeping you updated on our future progress.
Sincerely,
David Scott
AECL Project Director
Point Lepreau Refurbishment
Message from the Refurbishment Project Director - Summer 2006
It has been one year since the announcement was made on July 29th, 2005 that the Point Lepreau Generating Station refurbishment project would proceed. Since that date, we have achieved some significant milestones, including:
- The commencement of construction of the Solid Radioactive Waste Management Facility (SRWMF) extension which will support refurbishment and the extended operation of the station. AECL started construction activities on April 3rd, 2006 and the major construction work is expected to be completed by December 31st, 2006, with some of the mechanical and commissioning work continuing into 2007.
- The ordering of many key materials needed for the refurbishment project including pressure tubes, calandria tubes, end fittings and feeder material.
- The awarding of contracts to many New Brunswick companies such as OPRON Maritimes Construction of Saint John, Arvin Machine Works Inc. of Miramichi, Sunny Corners Enterprises of Miramichi City and x-wave of Saint John.
- The significant addition of project staff at both NB Power and AECL.
- The commencement of construction of the new administrative building adjacent to the Point Lepreau Generating Station. The excavation phase of the project is now complete. Phase II began on Monday, July 4th which includes the construction of the foundation, footings and the building structure. This phase is expected to be complete by November. The new building is expected to be occupied by July 2007.
- The completion in June 2006 of our planned annual maintenance outage, which included many system walk downs in preparation for the 2008 outage.
- The completion of design work for much of the refurbishment work to meet schedule requirements.
- The establishment of the AECL office in mid January 2006 (37 staff as of July 31st, 2006) at the former Saint John Shipbuilding site.
- The announcement on June 30th, 2006 by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission that Point Lepreau Generating Station's Nuclear Power Reactor Operating Licence has been renewed for a five year period, valid until June 30th, 2011.
The refurbishment outage is scheduled to start in April 2008 and will be completed over an 18-month period. We will continue to provide you with updates as we move closer to this date. In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding the project or would like additional information, please contact Kahterine French, Communications Officer, at 506-638-5309.
Sincerely,
Rod Eagles
Refurbishment Project Director
NB Power Nuclear Corporation
Message from the Refurbishment Project Director - Spring 2006
I am pleased to report that the Point Lepreau refurbishment project is well on its way, with activities proceeding on time and on budget due to the efforts of our staff. We are currently entering our 21st month of a 32-month pre-outage preparation schedule. The refurbishment outage is scheduled to start in April 2008 and will be completed over an 18-month period.
Construction is underway of the Solid Radioactive Waste Management Facility (SRWMF) which will support refurbishment and the extended operation of the station. There are construction activities in three areas of the waste site:
- Phase I - low and intermediate waste extension
- Phase II - dry fuel canister extension
- Phase III – retube waste structures
Other key accomplishments on the refurbishment project include:
- The ordering of key preparation materials.
- The awarding of several contracts to New Brunswick companies by AECL for the project, including Arvin Machine Works Inc. of Miramichi (for construction of fuel channels mock-up), Opron Maritimes Construction of Saint John (for civil portion of SRWMF), Sunny Corner Enterprises of Miramichi City (for mechanical components of SRWMF) and xwave of Saint John (for IT installation and service requirements).
Many thanks are extended to all of the staff involved in making this project run smoothly, including the project team and station staff at NB Power, the hundreds of AECL staff in Mississauga and Chalk River, as well as over 30 AECL staff based at their Saint John office at the former shipyard location, 25 of which are from New Brunswick.
We will continue to work as a team to accomplish our project objectives which are consistent with the station goals of safe and reliable operation, executing the refurbishment on schedule and on budget and achieving world-class performance.
If you have any questions regarding the project or would like additional information, please contact Katherine French, Communications Officer, at (506) 638-5309.
Sincerely,
Rod Eagles
Refurbishment Project Director
NB Power Nuclear Corporation
Project Update from AECL’s Point Lepreau Refurbishment Office - Winter 2005
We, at AECL, are pleased that the New Brunswick Government and NB Power have chosen us as the Primary Contractor for the refurbishment of the Point Lepreau Generating Station.
Our office, at 430 Bayside Drive, Saint John, NB, has been operational since mid-January and the second floor has been completely renovated. We now have 26 full-time staff, 21 of which have been recruited locally.
In addition to leasing the office building we have leased two large warehouses. These will be used to store construction-related equipment and to accommodate the “lay-down” of large power plant equipment. The warehouses are now being cleaned and, beginning in July 2006, will be upgraded to include a large “clean room”.
In keeping with our commitment to utilize New Brunswick firms wherever possible we have engaged local suppliers for all of the office renovations and equipment.
Message from the Station Manager - Fall 2005
As most of you know, on July 29, 2005, the Government of New Brunswick announced that NB Power will proceed with the refurbishment of the Point Lepreau Generating Station with the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) as the general contractor.
This recommendation comes after many months of discussions and negotiations with stakeholders and potential partners. This is viewed as being a good decision for New Brunswick – it will limit the impact on rates and will provide security and diversity of fuel supply. This option is one which minimizes risk to the environment. From a social perspective, it allows us to maintain a highly-trained, skilled work force within southern New Brunswick. As we move forward with this project, we will continue to ensure that safety is always our first priority. We are committed to delivering this project on time and on budget and we are confident that we can make this project a success for all New Brunswick.
The following timeline is a summary of the planning and execution activities that are part of the refurbishment outage:
- Detailed engineering will commence immediately and will continue until the refurbishment outage begins
- Procurement will begin later this year with completion expected in March 2008
- Construction of temporary facilities and waste storage will begin in 2006
- The planned refurbishment maintenance outage will start in April 2008 and will be completed by September 2009
A positive refurbishment decision would not have been possible without the on-going support of our communities and the hard work and dedication that station staff provides. We would like to thank all of you for the support that you have provided us during this journey. We greatly appreciate the dialogue and meetings that we have had with our Community Relations Committee during the past 3 years. I know I can count on the continued support of our community.
Sincerely,
J. J. McCarthy
Station Manager
|