From: LeBlanc, Dominic - député<dominic.leblanc@parl.gc.ca>
Date: Wed, Jul 10, 2024 at 1:29 PM
Subject: Automatic reply: Hey Higgy Why won't CBC talk about Point Lepreau's generator 'issue???
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
(English follows)
Bonjour,
Nous
accusons réception de votre courriel adressé à L’honorable Dominic
LeBlanc, cp, cr, député de Beauséjour et nous vous en remercions.
Veuillez noter que nous recevons actuellement un volume élevé de correspondances. Veuillez prévoir un délai dans nos réponses.
En ce qui concerne les courriels relativement à des enjeux particuliers de nos commettants de Beauséjour, nous allons nous assurer de bien réviser votre message et un employé de notre bureau de circonscription communiquera avec vous si nécessaire. Si vous avez des questions ou vous désirez des clarifications, vous pouvez toujours communiquer avec notre bureau au numéro de téléphone suivant : (506) 533-5700.
Si vous écrivez à propos de sujets relatifs aux fonctions de sécurité publique du
ministre LeBlanc, veuillez communiquer avec notre département de Sécurité publique à ps.ministerofpublicsafety-
Pour toutes demandes des médias, veuillez contacter Kelly Ouimet à Kelly.Ouimet@iga-aig.gc.ca
Merci et bonne journée.
Bureau de L’hon. Dominic LeBlanc, cp, cr, député
Député de Beauséjour
------------------------------
Hello,
We acknowledge receipt and thank you for your email addressed to the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, P.C., K.C., M.P. for Beauséjour.
Please note that we are currently receiving a high volume of correspondence. This may mean a delay in our responding to you.
For emails related to specific issues from our constituents in Beauséjour, we will make sure to review your message and an employee from our constituency office will be in contact with you if necessary. If you have any questions or require clarification, you can always contact our office at the following phone number: (506) 533-5700.
If you are writing with respect to Minister LeBlanc's public safety duties, please
direct your correspondence to our Public Safety department at ps.ministerofpublicsafety-
Thank you and have a good day.
Office of the Hon. Dominic LeBlanc, P.C., K.C., M.P.
Member of Parliament for Beauséjour
---------- Original message ---------
Date: Wed, Jul 10, 2024 at 1:29 PM
Subject: Automatic reply: Hey Higgy Why won't CBC talk about Point Lepreau's generator 'issue???
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Thank you for contacting the Honourable Rob Moore, P.C., M.P. office. We appreciate the time you took to get in touch with our office.
If you did not already, please ensure to include your full contact details on your email and the appropriate staff will be able to action your request. We strive to ensure all constituent correspondence is responded to in a timely manner.
If your question or concern is time sensitive, please call our office: 506-832-4200.
Again, we thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and concerns.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Office of the Honourable Rob Moore, P.C., M.P.
Member of Parliament for Fundy Royal
From: Ministerial Correspondence Unit - Justice Canada<mcu@justice.gc.ca>
Date: Wed, Jul 10, 2024 at 1:29 PM
Subject: Automatic Reply
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Thank you for writing to the Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.
Due to the volume of correspondence addressed to the Minister, please note that there may be a delay in processing your email. Rest assured that your message will be carefully reviewed.
We do not respond to correspondence that contains offensive language.
-------------------
Merci d'avoir écrit à l'honorable Arif Virani, ministre de la Justice et procureur général du Canada.
En raison du volume de correspondance adressée au ministre, veuillez
prendre note qu'il pourrait y avoir un retard dans le traitement de
votre courriel. Nous tenons à vous assurer que votre message sera lu
avec soin.
Nous ne répondons pas à la correspondance contenant un langage offensant.
---------- Original message ---------
From: David Amos<david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Jul 10, 2024 at 1:28 PM
Subject: Hey Higgy Why won't CBC talk about Point Lepreau's generator 'issue???
To: blaine.higgs <blaine.higgs@gnb.ca>, dominic.leblanc <dominic.leblanc@parl.gc.ca>, rob.moore <rob.moore@parl.gc.ca>, mcu <mcu@justice.gc.ca>, pm <pm@pm.gc.ca>, Dominic.Cardy <Dominic.Cardy@gnb.ca>, Susan.Holt <Susan.Holt@gnb.ca>, kris.austin <kris.austin@gnb.ca>, Katie.Telford <Katie.Telford@pmo-cpm.gc.ca>, Clark, Lori <lclark@nbpower.com>, Robert. Jones <Robert.Jones@cbc.ca>, Ross.Wetmore <Ross.Wetmore@gnb.ca>, John.Williamson <John.Williamson@parl.gc.ca>, Mitton, Megan (LEG) <megan.mitton@gnb.ca>, Arseneau, Kevin (LEG) <kevin.a.arseneau@gnb.ca>, <AWaugh@postmedia.com>
EXCLUSIVE: Point Lepreau has a generator 'issue,' says NB Power
Utility doesn't know how long it will take to fix
There’s a problem with the generator at the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant, and NB Power says it doesn’t know how long it will take to fix, or how much it will cost.
The aging facility provides about one third of New Brunswick’s electricity, but has been plagued with problems in the last few years.
“We are currently on day 94 of the planned 100-day outage at the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station,” NB Power spokesperson Dominique Couture said in an email to Brunswick News.
“After successfully completing planned maintenance work for the spring 2024 outage, an issue was identified in the generator, which is on the conventional, non-nuclear side of the station, as it was being returned to service.
“The team, along with a number of industry equipment experts, are currently troubleshooting the problem. After investigation and troubleshooting is complete, we will have a better understanding of the impact on the outage schedule and budget.
“It is important to note that there are no health or safety concerns related to this delay.
“During the outage, the team accomplished a great deal, including replacing key equipment to enhance the reliability of the Station, safely completing over 25,000 tasks to ensure improved performance moving forward.”
In an April 5 press release announcing the 100-day shutdown, NB Power said its “unwavering commitment to reliable generation serves as the cornerstone of our efforts to ensure energy security for New Brunswick.”
“These maintenance outages are vital to continue safe, reliable and low-emitting electricity generation that meets the needs of our customers. The timing for the maintenance is chosen to align with New Brunswick’s heating season needs,” the release read.
“Activities will include inspections and the installation of upgraded equipment on both the nuclear and conventional sides of the Station, benefiting its long-term reliability. Post-maintenance testing will precede a seamless return to full operation.”
At that time, Couture told Brunswick News that it would cost $86 million to replace the energy lost during the shutdown. And in terms of capital spending, Couture said, the job would set the utility back $137 million, spread out over two years, for a total of $223 million.
News of the shutdown possibly needing to be extended comes as the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board considers NB Power’s request for the highest rate hikes for its customers in generations. It is seeking increases of 23 per cent for residential and big industrial customers over the next two years, slightly less for small and medium-sized businesses.
NB Power refurbished the nuclear side of the plant in 2012, at a cost of $2.5 billion, a project that was over budget by $1 billion and took 37 months longer to complete than expected. But NB Power didn’t do similar work to other important parts of the plant, leading to frequent breakdowns.
While most Candu reactors around the world operate close to 90 per cent of the time, Lepreau’s average over the last five years has been 78 per cent. That ends up costing ratepayers tens of millions in replacement power and repairs.
– With files from John Chilibeck
More to come …
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/eub-hearing-nb-power-rate-increase-1.7258066
N.B. Power seeking to split 19.4% rate increase evenly over 2 years
Energy and Utilities Board resumes power-rate hearings this week
N.B. Power is asking for permission to split its proposed 19.4 per cent rate increase equally over two years through a deferral account.
The utility says if the request isn't approved, customers would see an increase of 11.15 per cent in 2024-2025 and 5.59 per cent the year after.
The New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board is holding hearings to determine whether N.B. Power should be allowed to raise its electricity rates by nearly 20 per cent over two years. It's also hearing testimony about how that rate increase should be rolled out.
The utility previously said it's raising rates to keep up with its $5.4 billion debt load. It's also spending billions on major infrastructure projects, including to refurbish the Mactaquac Dam.
On Monday, consultant John Todd said spreading the increase equally over two years maintains rate stability. He said the goal is partly to avoid "rate shock" that would be caused by an 11 per cent increase in one year.
Abigail Herrington, the lawyer representing the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board, asked Todd whether he would endorse a plan for a more gradual increase spread out over five years.
Todd said there is too much uncertainty to delay the increase that far in the future.
"The further out you push it, the more challenges could arise in the meantime, put it that way," he said. "You might get lucky but you might not."
No aid for low-income households
The board previously heard evidence about how electricity aid programs, like the rebates for people with low income in Ontario, are not something N.B. Power is allowed to provide in New Brunswick. The board heard that those restrictions do not apply to industrial customers.
N.B. Power previously outlined plans to spend $26.3 million over the next two years to help pulp-and-paper mills with their electricity costs.
Shelley Petit, speaking on behalf of the New Brunswick Coalition of Persons with Disabilities, said the increased rate could result in marginalized people getting disconnected because they're unable to pay their bill.
"I know that for my members, that $25 is going to mean disconnect. They can't afford their power bills now. They're going without food. They're going without medications," she said.
Todd said policies need to be implemented to address that issue but it isn't addressed in his report.
"There's a lot of material and practices elsewhere that you could build on, and this is something that's in collaboration discussion with New Brunswick Power, the government ... policy changes are always possible," he said.
N.B. Power was given permission by the utilities board to begin charging an increase of 9.25 per cent on April 1, but it will have to rebate a portion of what it has collected if the amount is found to be too high.
The utility previously said it needs to earn more than $1 billion in profit over five years to meet 2029 financial targets set by the Blaine Higgs government.
The hearings are expected to take 16 sitting days and they're scheduled to wrap up in August.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
