NTPC's Snare Falls hydro unit goes offline after oil sheen spotted in water again

A hydro unit that provides power to Yellowknife, Behchoko, and Dettahwas take out of service on Thursday after staff saw an oil sheen in the water while testing was being conducted on the unit.

The Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC) said in a news release Friday that the Snare Falls Hydro Unit was removed from service. Snare Falls is one of four generating facilities in the Snare River hydroelectric system that powers Yellowknife, Dettah and Behchoko.

Adiesel unit at Jackfish Generating Plant will provide backup power while the hydro unit is offline, if required.

The potential spill was reported to the territorialspill line on Dec. 10, the release says. Last week, NTPC says it became aware that the unit was consuming more oil than normal, although there was no evidence that it was being released to the environment.

As a precautionary measure, the release says booms were put in place several weeks ago when maintenance work began to ensure that any leaks were contained.

The cause ofthe spill is under investigation.

"NTPC took a proactive approach to protecting the environment when it began work at Snare Falls," said Noel Voykin, president and CEO of the corporation, in the release.

"We expect to face ongoing challenges with maintenance of aging hydro infrastructure until our hydro fleet can be refurbished. We will work as quickly and safely as possible to return Snare Falls to service."

The release says if more staff or contractors from outside the N.W.T. are required to repair the unit, NTPC will work with ProtectNWT to ensure that all required directives and protocols related to worker safety are followed.

Not the first time

Back in May, the same unit was shut for about three weeks after a similar oil leak.

It's not yet known how long it will take to complete the investigator or the maintenance work this time. The costs are also unknown.

However, in the past, it has been costly in May, it cost approximately $50,000 per week in diesel fuel to generate replacement power while the hydro unit was down, according to a statementfrom NTPC.