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.
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.