Oct 9 (Reuters) - New Brunswick province-owned power company NB Power said it has until 2016 to determine the future of the 660-megawatt Mactaquac hydropower plant due to a problem with the concrete in the powerhouse.
Possible options include rebuilding the station with a new powerhouse and spillway, maintaining the earthen dam and spillway only, or letting the plant run until it is shut and then restoring the river to its natural state, the company said in a release on Tuesday.
The hydropower station built on the St. John River began generating power in 1968 and supplies about 12 percent of the Canadian province's electricity.
It is expected to reach the end of its life by 2030, when the powerhouse and spillway will no longer be useful because of problems with the concrete known as alkali-aggregate reaction, NB Power said.
This condition is affecting the concrete portions of the station only, not the earthen dam, the company said.
NB Power said it needs to choose a preferred option by 2016 due to the anticipated time required for approvals, design and site work.
To help with the evaluation of options, NB Power said it will work with the Canadian Rivers Institute, which will evaluate key environmental challenges, including river health, fish passage, and flow management.
NB Power said it is investing C$2.3 million in the three-year project, which will be provided as research funding to the Canadian Rivers Institute, which is a research network based at the University of New Brunswick.
(Reporting by Scott DiSavino; editing by Andrew Hay)
((scott.disavino@thomsonreuters.com)(+1 646 223-6072)(Reuters Messaging: scott.disavino.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
Keywords: UTILITIES NBPOWER/MACTAQUAC
