Local activist says the fight is not over
The New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board has approved NB Power’s proposed gas and diesel plant near Centre Village in Tantramar, moving the project one step closer to construction.
The project would include 10 gas and diesel turbines and provide up to 500 megawatts of electricity. 400 megawatts would be used in New Brunswick, while 100 megawatts would be purchased by Nova Scotia’s system operator under a 10-year agreement.
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NB Power has said the plant is needed to meet winter demand and support the grid when wind and solar generation are not producing enough. CBC reports the utility also warned New Brunswick could face rotating blackouts if the project is not online by 2028.
Lisa Griffin is with the Protect the Chignecto Isthmus Coalition. Griffin says the coalition was frustrated by the EUB’s decision.
“It’s confusing as to why logic doesn’t prevail with the board and with our energy utility,” she says. “I think the entire province is disappointed in the utility right now for a number of reasons, but this is just another kick at the can at making terrible energy power mistakes.”
The EUB approved NB Power’s 25-year contract with American-based ProEnergy, but also criticized the utility’s process. Board chair Christopher Stewart said NB Power did not follow its own investment governance framework and provided inadequate information to the board.
Griffin says that criticism should have carried more weight.
“This is the most important case right now because it’s a 25-year new fossil fuel contract for the province. It’s a major, major energy development. So if you’re not gonna apply it now, what are you applying it to later?”
The coalition has raised concerns about cost, emissions, wetlands, health impacts and battery storage alternatives. In a press release, PCIC called the approval “a failure of regulatory responsibility” and said the project would lock New Brunswick into a long-term fossil fuel commitment.
The decision comes after a March comprehensive review of NB Power warned there is “no silver bullet or easy answer” to the utility’s challenges, and said rates are expected to rise because of major investments in new generation and aging infrastructure.
The project is not fully cleared. It is still waiting on a provincial environmental impact assessment and is also involved in a Mi’kmaq Rights Impact Assessment process with Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn Incorporated (MTI).
Griffin says PCIC is now considering its next steps.
“We’ve just literally begun the fight, so we are exploring legal options.”
NB Power says the project is part of its plan to maintain reliability while adding more renewable energy to the grid.
Clinton Davis is a community journalist and audio producer covering the people, events, and ideas shaping the Tantramar region.
