The Official Saint John, NB Project Thread

[bingun]

Originally Posted by cdnguys

Update on CANDU Energy opening up an office in Saint John. It’s because they are setting their sights on Point Lepreau for their enhanced CANDU-6 reactor. This is positive news because there was always the possibility the office was being set up for current maintenance or engineering of current reactor. CANDU is owned by Montréal based AtkinsRéalis - their investment chart shows a potential reactor build in New Brunswick in 2029. That would require 2000-3000 workers for 6 years so developers will only have a few years to ramp up and build their projects for the expected influx of workers, both direct and indirect job workers.

Fantastic news. I will have to dig into this later when I get a chance.

Combine this with the Simms Corner/rail improvement project, and that would be huge. I think the best timing to announce that is right now! All this drama with the tariffs and talk of trade diversification- let's put our money where our mouth is.

[Pugsley]

Originally Posted by cdnguys

Update on CANDU Energy opening up an office in Saint John. It’s because they are setting their sights on Point Lepreau for their enhanced CANDU-6 reactor. This is positive news because there was always the possibility the office was being set up for current maintenance or engineering of current reactor. CANDU is owned by Montréal based AtkinsRéalis - their investment chart shows a potential reactor build in New Brunswick in 2029. That would require 2000-3000 workers for 6 years so developers will only have a few years to ramp up and build their projects for the expected influx of workers, both direct and indirect job workers.

Wow!

Saint John may need to get the folks in Moncton to ship some of those apartments down Route 1!

LOL

[cdnguys]

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Just saw this in Reddit (pardon the Fahrenheit):



If only Saint John had a similar attitude about the fog/ mild climate and embraced our city’s natural air conditioning. 🌁

[bingun]

Originally Posted by cdnguys

I think a lot of the focus is on the jobs involved in setting up a new reactor or maintaining it afterwards, but to me, the underappreciated appeal is the power it can provide.

It makes Saint John a much more attractive investment location for energy-intensive industries, knowing you have a reliable power supply nearby that won't require major investments in additional power lines or other infrastructure. Data centres get the headlines, but there are other possibilities. Critical mineral refining, chemical industries, green hydrogen, methanol or aviation fuel, etc.

I know some will say, "Oh well, it's not reliable based on the last few years," and I don't entirely disagree, but having two reactors provides much-needed redundancy and should help alleviate the troubles we've had.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by bingun

I think a lot of the focus is on the jobs involved in setting up a new reactor or maintaining it afterwards, but to me, the underappreciated appeal is the power it can provide.

It makes Saint John a much more attractive investment location for energy-intensive industries, knowing you have a reliable power supply nearby that won't require major investments in additional power lines or other infrastructure. Data centres get the headlines, but there are other possibilities. Critical mineral refining, chemical industries, green hydrogen, methanol or aviation fuel, etc.

I know some will say, "Oh well, it's not reliable based on the last few years," and I don't entirely disagree, but having two reactors provides much-needed redundancy and should help alleviate the troubles we've had.

I would add manufacturing to that list of possibilities. I’ve heard it said many times recently that the main determining factor in manufacturing success in the near future, will not be population size, or even skilled forces… the main determining factor will be access to cheap, abundant electricity, because so much of the manufacturing process will be fully automated.

[bingun]

Originally Posted by EnvisionSaintJohn

I would add manufacturing to that list of possibilities. I’ve heard it said many times recently that the main determining factor in manufacturing success in the near future, will not be population size, or even skilled forces… the main determining factor will be access to cheap, abundant electricity, because so much of the manufacturing process will be fully automated.

The nuclear reactor won't be cheap, which may contradict this somewhat, but my hope is that the baseline it provides makes other cheaper forms of electricity viable. Let's get those wind turbines built in the boonies and ignore the people complaining about the lost view at their cabin.

[Ire Narissis]

The thing about nuclear energy that often gets overlooked is that the high costs are pretty much all in the construction and decommissioning.

Compared with coal-, oil-, or gas-burning plants that have enormous fuel costs while operating, nuclear's long fuel cycles and low fuel volume make it much less expensive during normal operation.

We see a lot of sensational headlines about price tags when nuclear plants are built or need a major refit, but during routine operation you scarcely hear about them at all.

[cdnguys]

Originally Posted by Ire Narissis

The thing about nuclear energy that often gets overlooked is that the high costs are pretty much all in the construction and decommissioning.

Compared with coal-, oil-, or gas-burning plants that have enormous fuel costs while operating, nuclear's long fuel cycles and low fuel volume make it much less expensive during normal operation.

We see a lot of sensational headlines about price tags when nuclear plants are built or need a major refit, but during routine operation you scarcely hear about them at all.

That’s a good point

[nwalbert]

Originally Posted by Ire Narissis

The thing about nuclear energy that often gets overlooked is that the high costs are pretty much all in the construction and decommissioning.

Compared with coal-, oil-, or gas-burning plants that have enormous fuel costs while operating, nuclear's long fuel cycles and low fuel volume make it much less expensive during normal operation.

We see a lot of sensational headlines about price tags when nuclear plants are built or need a major refit, but during routine operation you scarcely hear about them at all.

Its difficult to argue too strongly against Nuclear as an energy source, and its become very clear that NB already need more energy with the needs only increasing. Some signs that an announcement is not too far off.

[cdnguys]

[cdnguys]

[paperplane]

Originally Posted by cdnguys

I'm curious to see the retaining wall this area is going to need!

[Sabien]

Originally Posted by cdnguys

That used to be the best hill to take the kids sliding!

[bingun]

Tiny home village update below (from United Way Maritimes Facebook) -

Exciting update from Sunnyside in Saint John!
We have chosen The 12 Neighbours Community to deliver the wraparound supports and Housing Alternatives Inc. to provide property maintenance to the community.
ICYMI: Sunnyside will provide 70 permanent supportive housing units for people experiencing homelessness. The homes are designed to be an affordable, safe, well-maintained, and welcoming environment for residents.
Having partners who have such a strong reputation in offering these types of 24-hour wraparound supports are what helps make a community like Sunnyside a strong addition to Saint John. When residents are cared for, and the supports focus on safety, respect, and positive neighbourly relationships, our whole city benefits.

[cdnguys]

[cdnguys]

Building permit pulled for third and final building on SeaLedge Ct. Units increased slightly to 31 units. Redevelopment of King/Germain increased from 8 to 16 units, using 4 out of the 5 floors for residential with main level being The Ginger Agency as main commercial tenant.

[bingun]

At last night's council meeting, they approved the application for provincial/municipal highway funding for 2029-2031. Much of this is typical road maintenance, but three projects were included. Note: this doesn't mean the province will approve these requests, but it's a good indicator.

Loch Lomond Road/Airport Arterial Roundabout (2029)

They were originally hoping to begin this project this year, but the complexity and provincial involvement scuttled it. This appears to be their second attempt at locking it down. They're asking the province for $2.1M for this one.

Ashburn Road/Rothesay Road Roundabout (2031)

No great surprise here; this has been on the back burner for a while. I am surprised they're asking the province for $3M for this, for a total project cost of over $6M. That seems like a lot of money. Is this related to the fact that it's a swamp and floods regularly?

Paradise Row/Somerset Street Intersection Improvements (2030)

Relocation of median island and updating of traffic signal infrastructure and line painting
to allow for a double left turn from Paradise Row onto Somerset Street towards Uptown.

Changing that section to three lanes to allow for two lanes of left-turning when folks come off the highway? To me, the folks turning right onto Somerset from Paradise cause the biggest mess, blocking the lanes as they try to get across to the highway on-ramp turn.

[cdnguys]

Reporting on social media a 2nd Data Centre is interested in SLIP, along with a hydrogen project.

Data Centre: https://www.crossriverllc.com/
Hydrogen: https://universalkraft.com/

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by bingun

At last night's council meeting, they approved the application for provincial/municipal highway funding for 2029-2031. Much of this is typical road maintenance, but three projects were included. Note: this doesn't mean the province will approve these requests, but it's a good indicator.

Loch Lomond Road/Airport Arterial Roundabout (2029)

They were originally hoping to begin this project this year, but the complexity and provincial involvement scuttled it. This appears to be their second attempt at locking it down. They're asking the province for $2.1M for this one.

Ashburn Road/Rothesay Road Roundabout (2031)

No great surprise here; this has been on the back burner for a while. I am surprised they're asking the province for $3M for this, for a total project cost of over $6M. That seems like a lot of money. Is this related to the fact that it's a swamp and floods regularly?

Paradise Row/Somerset Street Intersection Improvements (2030)



Changing that section to three lanes to allow for two lanes of left-turning when folks come off the highway? To me, the folks turning right onto Somerset from Paradise cause the biggest mess, blocking the lanes as they try to get across to the highway on-ramp turn.

Agreed.....the major problem with that intersection in my experience is not having enough room for cars waiting for the left turn arrow to get on the Throughway.

All of the above are a fair number of years off. Anybody know what's scheduled for next year and 2028?