Point Lepreau nuclear station online 233 days straight

As of Monday, the Point Lepreau Generating Station (PLGS) in New Brunswick, Canada, has remained online for a consecutive 233 days since a maintenance outage in July 2014, owner NB Power said.

Declared commercially operational in November 2012, PLGS currently produces enough electricity to power more than 333,000 NB homes for the next 25 years. In January 2015, PLGS operated at 100 percent reactor power, and in turn, put approximately 600 megawatts of power on the New Brunswick grid. In that same month, the 660 megawatt (net) nuclear generating station produced approximately 43.5 percent of the total net generation from NB Power generating stations.

Point Lepreau is a crucial support piece of New Brunswick’s domestic energy supply and export sales, and provides rate stability and the financial flexibility to begin reducing debt. The facility also plays a key role in producing assets that support the provincial goal of having 75 percent of New Brunswick’s electricity sourced from clean, renewable or non-emitting origins by 2020.

"Our continuing commitment at Point Lepreau Generating Station is to operate in a safe, predictable and productive manner," Sean Granville, site vice president and chief nuclear officer, said. "This year's unusually harsh winter is both a reminder and motivator to the Point Lepreau team of the important role we play in keeping New Brunswickers warm."