Recently, Point Lepreau has been scrutinized for costs that could reach $294 million for its 249-day outage, its contribution to about three-quarters of NB Power’s nearly $5.4 billion debt, and whether it should be shut down. Missing from discussion, however, are the reactor’s tritium emissions and the health hazard they pose.
All CANDU reactors like Point Lepreau use heavy water to sustain a chain reaction to produce steam that drives a turbine to generate electricity, and to prevent the core from overheating and melting down. Over time, tritium, or radioactive hydrogen, builds up in the heavy water. To reduce the risk of exposing nuclear workers and the public to increasing radiation levels, the heavy water from the moderator system must be treated or replaced.
NB Power was asked if Point Lepreau’s heavy water had ever been replaced or treated. Through email, Kathleen Duguay, manager, community affairs and nuclear regulatory protocol at Point Lepreau responded as follows: “The Station has not undergone a replacement of heavy water since the reactor began operations.”
This commentary by Ann McAllister was published in the New Brunswick Telegraph Journal on March 1, 2025. To read more click HERE.
Ann McAllister, a retired teacher, participated as an intervenor in the relicensing hearing for the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station held by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission in May 2022.