No returns on that $79-million piece of equipment
June 3, 2015
By
CCE
Showing the high risks and costs involved in large construction projects, news emerged recently that equipment bought for $79 million in 2011 for the Gentilly-2 nuclear power station in Quebec was never used and had to be sold as scrap metal.
The Quebec Auditor General, Guylaine Leclerc, criticized Hydro-Québec in her 2014-2015 report for underselling the equipment for just $75,000 to the metal recycling market.
The equipment was custom designed and acquired in 2011 for installation in the nuclear plant, which is in Becancour, 100 kilometres northeast of Montreal along the St. Lawrence. A year after the purchase, the Parti-Québecois decided to de-commission the plant.
According to the CBC, the utility said … it made every effort to sell the equipment but … the fact it was custom-designed made the parts unattractive to potential buyers.”
Click here to read a CBC Montreal report of May 27.
