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NL Hydro Lifts Power Watch After Bay d’Espoir Ice Disruption Eases

NL Hydro credits ice-clearing work, public conservation, supplemental imports for stabilizing the island grid.

NL Hydro VP Engineering and NL System Operator Rob Collett says an ice cover will help prevent frazil ice from forming again. It’s just one of the measures planned to help prevent another Power Watch.
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro says that ice removal efforts at the Bay d’Espoir power plant have been “very successful.”
Rob Collett, left, of NL Hydro, and Byron Chubbs of Newfoundland Power, had some positive news on the power situation for the island portion of the Newfoundland on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. Despite improvements in the situation the island is still under a power warning and people are asked to continue to conserve.
Rob Collett, left, of NL Hydro, and Byron Chubbs of Newfoundland Power, announced on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, that rotating power outages may be necessary for the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Overview

  • The utility said Monday the system has returned to normal operations and it will continue monitoring generation assets.
  • A buildup of frazil ice had clogged Bay d’Espoir’s intakes, triggering the station’s first complete shutdown since 1967.
  • Dive crews cleared ice and enabled a gradual restart, bringing six of seven generating units back online.
  • Supply was bolstered by power from Muskrat Falls and imports from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and New England as conservation reduced peak demand.
  • NL Hydro is pursuing measures to limit future frazil-ice risks, including an ice cover on the reservoir and operational adjustments to offload earlier if conditions develop.