Point Lepreau licence renewal hearing moves to Saint John

A three-day public hearing into NB Power's application for a five-year licence renewal for the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station begins Tuesday in Saint John.

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission hearings will begin at 10 a.m. at the Delta Brunswick Hotel.

Dozens of presentations are scheduled over the course of the three days, including ones by clean-air activist Gordon Dalzell, the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization, Greenpeace Canada, the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, and the Canadian Environmental Law Association.

Officials from NB Power and the commission will also make presentations.

The hearing will be livestreamed on the commission's website.

The first phase of the hearing process took place in January, when NB Power officials appeared before the commission in Ottawa.

Much of that hearing focused on the nuclear plant's ability to withstand a significant earthquake. NB Power technical adviser Derek Mullin told the commission potential risks such as earthquakes, shipping disasters, plane wrecks, tsunamis and even meteor strikes had been evaluated and were not considered likely to cause public safety problems.

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NB Power's licence for Point Lepreauexpires in June.

Following the hearing in Saint John, the members of the commission will review the information from NB Power, commission staff and public interveners and announce its decision on licence renewal by the end of June.