Less than two weeks after finishing a four month maintenance outage, the Point Lepreau nuclear generating station is offline again. NB Power shut down the plant on Sunday morning to repair a leaking gasket in the turbine system. This latest setback means the plant will remain out of service until the end of September, according to a report by CBC News.

The Cause of the Shutdown

Plant workers first noticed steam escaping from a gasket on August 21. They monitored the situation as they increased the plant power level to 93 percent on Friday. Ultimately, the utility decided to take the station offline to replace the gasket.

Steve Bagshaw, NB Power chief nuclear officer, confirmed the utility made a “proactive decision” to take the station offline. He stated there is “no risk to staff, the public, the environment.”

A History of Reliability Issues

The non nuclear side of the plant continues to cause headaches for NB Power. The nuclear reactor underwent a four year refurbishment ending in 2012. However, that project ignored the non nuclear side where steam turbines generate electricity.

This marks the third consecutive year that equipment failures delayed the return to service for Lepreau. In 2024, a main generator issue kept the plant offline for over eight months. In 2025, the plant spent 163 days offline for a generator rewind and a bearing failure.

The Financial Impact on New Brunswickers

These shutdowns cost money, and they directly impact your provincial utility. Every day Point Lepreau sits idle, NB Power loses an estimated $1.9 million. To keep your lights on, the utility imports electricity from Quebec and relies on its other generation plants.

NB Power CEO Lori Clark previously noted the plant needs between $60 million and $100 million in capital investments to maintain production standards. The utility also plans to spend $88.4 million over three years on outside experts to fix these chronic reliability problems.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Point Lepreau offline again?

Workers discovered a leaking gasket in the turbine system on the non nuclear side of the plant.

How long will the plant be shut down?

NB Power expects the plant to remain out of service until the end of September.

Is there any danger to the public?

No. Officials confirm there is no risk to staff, the public, or the environment.

How much does this shutdown cost NB Power?

Every day of downtime costs the utility an estimated $1.9 million.