ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — A leaky penstock at the Bay d’Espoir Hydroelectric Plant is the latest in a string of repairs needed in the last three years.
A spokesperson for Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro confirmed that units 1 and 2 of the generating station have been out of commission since Sept. 22. A leak in a 50-year-old penstock feeding water into the two generating units was found by workers before the shutdown. Hydro expects the units to be brought back online by Friday, once the repair is fixed. The 604-megawatt generating station is the largest power plant on the island.
In a statement, Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro said it is examining its options, of whether to continue refurbishing the plant or replace it outright.
“Generally, Hydro's strategy is to extend the life of our assets through refurbishment whenever possible, rather than undertake full replacements, but we will know more once we have all the engineering and economic analysis completed,” reads the statement.
“Our focus now is to complete the repair at hand, get the unit back operating and then parallel to that we'll look at what our long-term plan will be and then bring forward proposals to the board for review and approval.”
The cost-benefit analysis is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
A report completed in March 2019 by engineering firm Hatch found the penstocks feeding water into the station should be fine through the coming winter, but refurbishment could be expensive.
“Several life extension options were reviewed in this report for the purposes of comparison. However, preliminary estimates suggest full weld refurbishment and application of a corrosion-resistant coating would be the best option for the rehabilitation of the penstocks. The preliminary estimates for refurbishment are approximately $14,000,000 to $16,000,000 per penstock,” the Hatch report stated.
“Hatch recommends annual inspection of the penstocks should continue until a life extension strategy is implemented within the next 3-5 years.”
It’s not the first time in recent history the hydroelectric plant has needed work.
In 2018, several leaks were identified in one of the penstocks, leading to welding work to complete the repairs.
In 2016, following massive rainfall from the remnants of hurricane Matthew, Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro spent an estimated $12.9 million on maintenance to the power plant, with another $4.6 million spent on repairs to roads leading to the generating station.
