The Point Lepreau nuclear power plant, in Point Lepreau, N.B., on July 9, 2018.Kevin Bissett/The Canadian Press
New Brunswick’s electrical utility says its Point Lepreau nuclear generating station will remain off-line until at least mid-November.
The station has been down since April 6, while NB Power carried out a planned 100-day maintenance outage.
In a news release Thursday, the utility says that during startup a “critical issue” related to the 660-megawatt power plant’s main generator was identified and it needs to be addressed before the station can return to service.
NB Power has not specified what the problem is, saying only that the “full extent of this issue is still being investigated and we are working toward resolving it.”
The utility says the outage won’t affect the supply of power to its customers with electricity being provided from its other generating stations and utilities in neighbouring jurisdictions.
NB Power cautions that while new developments can affect its schedule, it is working “toward a goal” of restoring the nuclear plant’s operations by mid-November.