Published in the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal on Friday January 23rd, 2009 page A3

Rob Linke

OTTAWA - Wednesday having been the third Wednesday of the month, union leader Ross Galbraith was at the Point Lepreau nuclear plant for the same high-level safety meeting the union and NB Power executives have held on that day, each month, for an unbroken 15 years.

It also happened to be the day the public learned that the refurbishment project was three to four months behind.

"The meeting was still focused on safety," said Galbraith. "It was no surprise to me - NB Power and the (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) are very compatible in our views about safety."

Many things are still uncertain about the $1.4-billion, 18-month refurbishment of Atlantic Canada's only nuclear plant.

It may - or may not - be back online by Christmas.

The delay may cost NB Power up to $90 million - or more, if it stretches out.

And because of contract confidentiality, it may never be entirely clear how much the delay will cost federal taxpayers due to penalties and higher costs being absorbed by the project's main contractor, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., a federal Crown corporation.

But Galbraith and the on-site staff of the country's nuclear watchdog, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, are certain of this: Public and worker safety is not taking a back seat amid the pressure to rein in the delays and cost overruns.

"We know we cannot cut corners," said Galbraith. "If we were being told to do that, I'd be the first person telling you about it."

The CNSC has a four-person crew at Lepreau, one more than before the refurbishment began. They are backed up by specialists at the nuclear regulator's headquarters in downtown Ottawa.

"The delay has been recognized and monitored as it occurred, but it does not pose a challenge to the CNSC," said Francois Rinfret, the commission's director for Lepreau and Quebec's Gentilly reactor.

"The jobs that have to be completed by (NB Power and AECL) are of a fixed scope and nature - they're well understood and well-defined."

Delays are "typical of every major project," said Rinfret, and the inspectors know what to watch for - such as overtime.

Overtime has to comply with the strict provisions of the CNSC for all nuclear industry workers. Those provisions limit both the number of hours worked per day, week and month, and limit and monitor workers' exposure to radiation.

"We plan on pursuing and monitoring the potential fatigue of workers," said Rinfret. "Some of these workers are working pretty long hours." He said NB Power also has a responsibility to monitor overtime, and "by and large, they are doing that.

"So far, there is no indication there is an issue there."

As a regulator, the CNSC has various escalating options it could resort to if it saw safety violations or concerns, including issuing orders to change how the work is done, said Rinfret.

But "so far, there hasn't been any need for the higher-level steps to be taken."

In all of NB Power's operations in 2008, there was just one lost-time accident - when a tree branch fell on a lineman, said Galbraith. The year before, there were just two.

While there is pressure to find ways to perform the remaining work faster, Galbraith said he has seen no sign of a temptation to compromise worker safety.

Rinfret said workers, managers and union representatives all know they can raise any safety concerns directly with the CNSC's inspectors.

NB Power must also appear before the full commission at a hearing before the CNSC will allow it to load new fuel into the reactor.

That stage was scheduled for July 1 under the original project timetable.

Posted January 24 2009, Source Published in the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal on Friday January 23rd, 2009 page A3 ,