The Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station has resumed operations following a recent radioactive isotope leak. N.B. Power announced that the station was back in service on September 26. The issue was initially detected on September 10 when elevated tritium levels were identified within the reactor building. Tritium is a radioactive isotope found in the heavy water used for heat transfer in nuclear reactors.
The station was shut down on September 11 after confirming a leak from a 3/8th-inch instrumentation line on September 14. According to an N.B. Power fact sheet, the leak of approximately 200 liters of heavy water was caused by the instrumentation line rubbing against structural steel. Despite the incident, there was no danger posed to staff, the public, or the environment, as confirmed by N.B. Power.
The utility stated that the tritium remained contained within the reactor building as per design. The outage was necessary to conduct maintenance activities that could only be carried out while the station was offline. Following repairs, thorough testing and operational evaluations were completed before reconnecting the station.