Nova Scotia Power says it has completed installation of six new transmission towers that will carry electricity from Labrador’s Muskrat Falls hydroelectric megaproject to mainland Nova Scotia.
The $20 million towers span the Strait of Canso from Cape Breton and connect to the Maritime Link system that will allow the flow of electricity from Newfoundland.
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The towers support six high voltage power lines the utility says will also act as a backup connection between the mainland and Cape Breton in the event of an outage.
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Senior project engineer Tom Flewwelling says the towers are the tallest in Atlantic Canada, adding that it took a “careful combination of personnel, cranes and helicopters to get the job done.”
The $1.6 billion Maritime Link subsea cable was laid last year and first tested in December.
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Meanwhile, Nalcor Energy’s Muskrat Falls project has seen construction delays which have nearly doubled the estimated cost to $12.7 billion.
Full power is not expected from the project until 2020, about two years behind schedule.
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