The Snare Falls Hydro has reopened, after it was shut down for two weeks because of an oil sheen.
The Northwest Territories Power Corporation told regulators that approximately 408 litres of oil gradually leaked from the Snare Falls unit since June 1.
To prevent further spills, the oil has been temporarily replaced with a “higher viscosity lubricant to prevent future leaking.”
The total cost of the shutdown is unknown at this time, but the cost of replacing the oil during the shutdown totaled approximately $260,000.
“Strong performance from our other hydro units helped to minimize the amount of diesel generation required while Snare Falls was offline,” said in a statement.
“Trouble-shooting at a hydro unit is a complex process but our employees and contractors were able to identify and implement a solution fairly quickly,” Noel Voykin, President and CEO, Northwest Territories Power Corporation said in a statement. “This will help to minimize the cost of the shutdown and avoid the greenhouse gas emissions created by diesel generation during a period of peak demand in the North Slave region.”
