During 2017, CELA worked with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick to respond to the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station application for a five-year renewal of its operating licence. In several detailed submissions, we made multiple recommendations to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) concerning plant safety routines, emergency preparedness plans, and public safety information.

During the hearing, the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization (NBEMO) announced a new emergency response plan for the nuclear plant but withheld the plan from the public. As a result of CELA’s request, the plan was later subject to public review. In June of 2017, the CNSC granted the relicensing, its decision concluding that the  emergency plans were satisfactory but noting a lack of transparency and public availability of emergency planning documents and the need for greater public access. Since the hearing, the NBEMO has continued to post updated versions of its off-site emergency plan (most recently in August of 2019). The current licence for this nuclear plant expires in June of 2022.