19 August 2008 -- Hydro-Québec will invest C$1.9 billion (US$1.79 billion) to refurbish the 675 MW Gentilly-2 nuclear generating station in Bécancour, Quebec. Refurbishing the plant will extend its operation until about 2040.
The project has two components: refurbishment of Gentilly-2 nuclear generating station, commissioned in 1983, and construction of a solid radioactive waste management facility (SRWMF).
Engineering and procurement for the project's refurbishment will start in 2008 and construction work will begin in 2011. The plant is expected to return to service in 2012. Construction activities consist in refurbishing the reactor, the turbo-generator unit, as well as the control and support systems.
Construction work on the SRWMF is divided into four phases. Phase 1, already under way, will meet the plant's immediate operating requirements with the building of storage units for low- and medium-level solid radioactive waste. Phase 2 will provide storage for radioactive waste arising from plant refurbishment work. The other phases will meet the plant's needs until the end of its operating life.
The Gentilly 2 CANDU pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR) is owned and operated by Hydro Québec. It was designed by AECL, and has a gross output of 675 MWe. Gentilly 2 was one of the first 700 MWe class CANDU 6 plants to be built-its construction began in 1974, and it went into service in 1983.