nuclear-news

NB Power pays nuclear boss in U.S. dollars, fights to keep salary a secret Energy and Utilities Board asked to keep financial agreement for U.S. nuclear expert Brett Plummer secret By Robert Jones, CBC News Jan 10, 2017 A U.S. nuclear expert hired to fix problems at the Point Lepreau generating station is being paid differently — and likely substantially more — than other NB Power executives, but the utility is pushing to keep those details secret.”Public disclosure of amounts paid under these contracts would undermine the ability of NB Power to obtain competitive pricing for these services in the future,” the utility wrote in a request to the Energy and Utilities Board last week to keep the pay of Brett Plummer confidential.

Plummer, a U.S. navy-trained nuclear operator who spent several years at New Hampshire’s giant Seabrook nuclear plant, was hired by NB Power as its chief nuclear officer and vice-president nuclear in late 2015.

His job is to oversee attempts to improve Point Lepreau’s disappointing post-refurbishment performance.

Since coming back online in 2012 after a four-year refurbishment, Point Lepreau has encountered various problems and fallen short of its budgeted electricity production targets by more than 4,000 hours, or $200 million.

Paid at U.S. rate  NB Power did reveal Plummer has a deal to be paid at U.S. exchange and tax rates, which forces it to compensate him for Canada’s low dollar and New Brunswick’s high income taxes.

The specific amounts are so far a mystery although the utility has broadly hinted Plummer did not come cheap…….http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nb-power-brent-plummer-salary-1.3927764