Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro said Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, that six of the seven generating units at the Bay d’Espoir station had restarted after divers cleared mattress-sized sheets of frazil ice from its intakes, but the island’s power warning remained in effect and rotating outages were still possible.
Divers clear the intakes
A fragile recovery got underway Sunday at the province’s largest hydroelectric plant, two days after frazil ice — a slushy buildup of ice crystals in supercooled water — shut Bay d’Espoir down completely for the first time since 1967.
Hydro reported that divers had cleared substantial ice sheets, described as being “the size of mattresses,” from the plant’s intakes, allowing technicians to reactivate six of the seven generators and nurse them back toward full operation through the night. “We’re not out of the woods but we’re absolutely seeing daylight from where we are right now,” said Rob Collett, Hydro’s vice-president of engineering and Newfoundland and Labrador system operator, at a midday news conference.
In its Sunday morning update, Hydro said units were being monitored closely and brought online gradually to ensure stability. “A Power Warning remains in effect,” it said. “We ask customers to continue conserving power to support system stability, and to remain prepared for the possibility of outages.”
‘Keep doing what you are doing’
Officials tempered the optimism with a call for continued vigilance. Byron Chubbs, vice-president of engineering and energy supply with Newfoundland Power, cautioned residents to prepare for the possibility of rotating power outages. “Keep doing what you are doing right now, because it is making a difference,” Chubbs said, crediting collective conservation efforts with easing pressure on the grid.
Municipalities and businesses across the island had responded to the warning in ways that echoed memories of the 2014 “DarkNL” event, when tens of thousands were left without electricity for days during frigid temperatures. Corner Brook closed municipal buildings, including the Civic Centre and City Hall, and switched its water treatment plants to generator power. Mount Pearl and Conception Bay South closed recreational facilities and put public works on generator backup, while St. John’s and Paradise dimmed lights and lowered thermostats. The Avalon Mall in St. John’s reduced lighting, and White Hills Resort in Clarenville closed temporarily to conserve energy.
Warning lifted by evening
The caution proved short-lived. By 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Hydro announced conditions had improved significantly and the power warning was lifted, with six units at Bay d’Espoir fully back in service. A power watch remained in place overnight as a precaution against continuing cold, and it too was lifted Monday morning as the system returned to more normal operations. The seventh unit was returned to service on Jan. 31.
Frazil ice forms in turbulent, supercooled water — water cooled below freezing that has not yet frozen solid. The slurry of tiny crystals can clog hydroelectric intakes and cut off the flow of water to turbines. The phenomenon is common in many parts of Newfoundland and Labrador but exceptionally rare at Bay d’Espoir, whose reservoir setting normally protects it — one reason the complete shutdown caught the system so exposed, and why the province’s utilities regulator later ordered a full report on the event.
