Grand Lake station closed 3 months early

A fire has forced an early closure of NB Power's coal-fired Grand Lake Generating Station in Minto, N.B.

NB Power announced on Wednesday the 79-year-old power generating facility would close three months early. The fire broke out on Feb. 23 but was only disclosed on Wednesday.

No one was injured in the fire, but NB Power said in a media release it would be too expensive to repair the facility for only three more months of operation.

The Crown corporation had planned to close the coal-fired station in June.

The 57-megawatt facility has been the only customer for the nearby NB Coal mine, which has also shut down. The plant was built in 1931.

When NB Power decided to shutter the station and the nearby mine, the utility said the plant, which was long considered among the dirtiest in the province because of its mercury and sulphur dioxide emissions, could not meet the federal mercury emission rules that take effect in 2012.

The 37 people working at the power plant and 57 people at NB Coal will lose their jobs.

However, NB Power will offer the employees at the generating station jobs elsewhere and workers from the NB Coal division will be offered packages. The mine workers have already voted on and accepted the package.