Guide aims to ‘unlock mainstream finance’ for nuclear

WNN, Tuesday, 8 September 2026

The World Nuclear Investment Guide sets out the value nuclear provides to energy systems, as well as providing practical guidance and checklists for governments and project teams and proposed developer and investment models.

The full guide, which has been published two months after the launch of its initial Roadmaps to Mainstream Finance section, was prompted by the need to secure investment estimated at USD6 trillion by 2050 – or an average of USD250 billion a year – if global nuclear capacity is going to achieve the widely shared goal of at least tripling by 2050.

The three new sections include Nuclear Must Knows, which aims to highlight “the full value nuclear provides to energy systems, including energy security, reliability and decarbonisation, and puts risks in context to show how the industry is evolving”.

The Investment Readiness section “provides practical guidance and checklists for governments and project developers, emphasising that technical, financial and project readiness must progress in parallel if projects are to attract investment”……………………………………………………………………………https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/guide-aims-to-unlock-mainstream-finance-for-nuclear

September 10, 2026 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs | Leave a comment

Lepreau breaks down again, likely to cost about $50M

The aged equipment has the potential to cause a major outage due to sudden failure.

–NB Power annual report 2025-2026

Workers at the 43-year-old station were finishing planned maintenance when a major gasket failed, forcing them to keep the plant offline

by John Chilibeck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, September 4, 2026

Atlantic Canada’s only nuclear power plant has broken down again, a repair problem that will likely cost NB Power customers at least $50 million.

For New Brunswickers who want to know how that impacts their wallet, that works out to about $127 on average for each of the public utility’s 393,000 direct customers.

Officials with the Crown corporation did not offer any estimates on Tuesday, the day after announcing the unplanned outage at the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station west of Saint John.

“We are still assessing the overall cost,” spokeswoman Elizabeth Fraser-McAllister told Brunswick News on Tuesday in an email.

“Repair costs and replacement power costs can vary depending on the time and duration of the outage, market conditions and operational requirements. Our focus is on completing the work safely and returning the station to service once all required reviews are complete.”

But it’s not that difficult to do a rough calculation of how much the breakdown will likely cost customers who are already suffering from rate shock.

A planned maintenance outage announced earlier this year in an NB Power news release was supposed to last only 119 days. That work began April 10 and was scheduled to wrap up by Aug. 7.

Fraser-McAllister said the unplanned outage would likely last until the end of September, or 54 days since the planned outage was to be completed.

In previous hearings before the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board, NB Power executives have said that an unplanned outage at Point Lepreau costs on average about $1 million a day outside the winter peak months.

When it is down, NB Power must fire up more expensive fossil-fuel plants (like the oil-burning Coleson Cove) or buy premium-priced power from Quebec and Maine.

That means the 54-day outage could cost ratepayers an additional $54 million.

Customers won’t know the true costs until a little under a year from now. Fraser-McAllister said they would be reported through NB Power’s annual financial statements, which are publicly available. Those are typically published in July.

In its release on Monday, the utility said there was no risk to the staff, public and the environment.

“This is the best path forward,” said Steve Bagshaw, site vice president and chief nuclear officer with the Crown corporation, in the release. “Taking the time now to complete this repair helps reduce the risk of unplanned interruptions during the winter months, helping ensure we are ready when customers need us most. This approach supports the long-term reliability of the station.”

The problem this time is a blown gasket. NB Power says the piece of equipment that failed was on the turbine system on the conventional, non-nuclear side of the plant

Fraser-McAllister said the gasket issue became apparent as the station progressed through its normal start-up activities and steam began circulating through the turbine system on Aug. 21. The plant went fully offline on Sunday.

“As power was gradually raised, as per process, teams observed that steam was escaping from the reheater gasket area,” she explained. “The station continued operating safety as the team analyzed the issue. Further reviews and assessments determined that the gasket on the reheater was not sealing as intended and needed to be replaced.”

She said the repair is being completed before workers fire up the plant again.

“Taking this proactive approach is in the best interests of our customers, helping to ensure the equipment is operating as intended and supporting the station’s safe, reliable and efficient operation through the winter and over the long term.”

Point Lepreau has had several unplanned outages over the years. The direst was last year, when a planned maintenance outage and unexpected breakdown lasted eight months, costing ratepayers more than $200 million.The 43-year-old plant is considered one of NB Power’s workhorses, providing about one-third of the province’s electricity when it is running properly.

The utility’s executives are desperate to get it operating as well as it should. Electricity rates have gone up more than one-quarter in the past four years, costing households hundreds of extra dollars a year and leading to a public outcry. Meanwhile, the utility’s bulging debt continues to grow, surpassing $6 billion, money that will eventually have to be paid back.

Most nuclear plants operate at a capacity factor above 90 per cent. The capacity factor measures how much electricity a plant actually produces compared to the maximum amount it could produce if it ran at full power 24 hours a day.

Point Lepreau has been a basement dweller in this regard. Over the last decade, its capacity factor has ranged from 89 to 27 per cent. Between fiscal years 2016 and 2025, the average annual capacity factor was 74 per cent, nearly 20 points below the industry norm.

NB Power signed a three-year, $20-million deal with Laurentis Energy Partners, a subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation, that began in April. The idea is to use expertise from Ontario, where there are several nuclear plants, to ensure Point Lepreau gets up to snuff.“

Some major Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station equipment has run well beyond its typical design life of 30 years,” warned a section in NB Power’s annual report, released this summer. “The aged equipment has the potential to cause a major outage due to sudden failure.“

September 7, 2026 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs | Leave a comment

Pay hike for NB Power CEO while ratepayers struggle ‘doesn’t make sense’: NB ACORN

The ACORN picket happened two days after another unplanned power outage at the Point Lepreau nuclear plant with a likely cost of $50 million. An analysis published in the Telegraph-Journal suggests that the latest nuclear plant outage will cost an average of $127 for each NB Power customer.

NB Media Co-op, by Susan O’Donnell, September 4, 2026

Picketers at NB Power’s Fredericton headquarters on Thursday said the government is not doing enough to help the thousands of New Brunswickers struggling to pay their electricity bill.

The 2025 report on energy poverty from the Human Development Council found that more than 37,000 households in the province experience both low income and high energy burden, a rate nearly double the national average.

NB ACORN chair Nichola Taylor organized the picket because she said the government is not doing enough to help these people. “First of all, the announcement that the CEO is getting a huge pay rise while everybody else is paying huge rate increases … it just doesn’t make sense.”

In August, the cabinet approved a 14 per cent pay hike for NB Power CEO Lori Clark, who now earns $623,653.

ACORN’s main demand is for a rebate program specifically geared towards low-income earners, similar to one that exists in Ontario…………………………………..

The ACORN picket happened two days after another unplanned power outage at the Point Lepreau nuclear plant with a likely cost of $50 million. An analysis published in the Telegraph-Journal suggests that the latest nuclear plant outage will cost an average of $127 for each NB Power customer.

ACORN’s Taylor said if the nuclear plant’s problems mean that rates will continue to rise, “this is a massive problem, and they need better solutions which they are clearly not doing right now.”

NB Power has previously stated that it is “committed to providing safe, reliable energy for our customers while keeping rates as low as possible” and that its goal “is always to work with customers to avoid disconnecting service.” .. https://nbmediacoop.org/2026/09/04/pay-hike-for-nb-power-ceo-while-ratepayers-struggle-doesnt-make-sense-nb-acorn/

September 7, 2026 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs | Leave a comment