Point Lepreau to go out of service Monday until December: NB Power

The Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station is shutting down for the next five months.

NB Power is advising the public the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station will shut for five months starting Monday.

The utility says the outage is part of its annual planned outage cycle to allow for equipment to be inspected and maintained. The work can’t be done while the station is online.

Last year, a planned shutdown at Point Lepreau from April to August was extended to November. The station was also temporarily taken offline in March for maintenance on a cooling fan after an issue was reported by staff.

NB Power says more than 23,000 tasks are planned for the latest outage. They include replacing heat transport pump seals, performing motor and pump maintenance, and conducting testing on electrical systems and safety equipment.

A generator rewind is also planned. That work involves replacing the stator windings inside the main generator.

“While the 2024 outage repairs to the generator were based on industry experience and guidance from technical experts, it was known at the time that those repairs were temporary and that a full rewind would be required at the first appropriate opportunity,” reads a Friday news release from NB Power.

“The decision was undertaken to do the repair and ensure that PLNGS was online for the winter heating season while the necessary parts for the full rewind were being manufactured. This work will help strengthen long-term generator reliability and reduce the need for future maintenance.”

The station is expected to return to service in December. NB Power says residents’ electrical needs will still be met using the rest of its generation fleet and interconnections.

The utility adds costs associated with the outage will be included in its annual financial statements and it will share information as work progresses.

NB Power says the cost to replace the power provided by the Point Lepreau station is approximately $1 million a day.

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