Nov 11 (Reuters) - New Brunswick's province-owned power company NB Power said Monday that its 660-megawatt Point Lepreau nuclear plant returned to full power last week.     A spokeswoman for the company, Kathleen Duguay, said the unit, located in the Canadian province, returned to service early last week and reached full power on Thursday.     The unit shut on Oct. 18 to fix a steam valve.     The company has said it expects the reactor to produce power until next spring, when it will shut for planned maintenance.     ---------------------------------------------------------------  PLANT BACKGROUND/TIMELINE   PROVINCE:     New Brunswick   TOWN:         Point Lepreau, about 75 miles (120 km) south of                 Fredericton, the provincial capital   OPERATOR:     NB Power   OWNER(S):     NB Power   CAPACITY:     660 MW   UNIT(S):      One CANDU-6 reactor   FUEL:         Nuclear   DISPATCH:     Baseload   COST:         C$1.4 billion      TIMELINE:   1974 -       Canada federal government announces a loan                program to help provinces build nuclear                reactors. New Brunswick agrees to build a               reactor.   1975 -       Canadian Atomic Energy Commission approves               construction of two 640-MW units on a site that                could accommodate four reactors.   1975 -       Reactor construction starts. 1983 -       Reactor enters service.   2005 -       NB Power awards Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd                (AECL) C$1.4 billion contract to refurbish                reactor. Without overhaul, unit would have to be                mothballed by 2008.   2007 -       NB Power starts study to consider building a new                reactor at site. The province stops looking at a               new reactor for the site in 2010.   2008 -       Reactor shut for what was expected to be an 18-                month overhaul.   2009 -       NB Power agrees to sell several assets,                including Point Lepreau, to Hydro Quebec. The                deal falls through in 2010.   2012 -       Reactor returns to service after overhaul that cost              C$2.4 billion.   2035-40 -    Reactor likely to retire.   (Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)  ((scott.disavino@thomsonreuters.com)(+1 646 223-6072)(Reuters Messaging: scott.disavino.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))  Keywords: UTILITIES OPERATIONS/NBPOWER POINTLEPREAU