HALIFAX – Emera and Nova Scotia’s consumer advocate clashed today on whether Muskrat Falls is the province’s cheapest source of electricity at the opening of a regulatory hearing on the project.
Nancy Tower of Emera Newfoundland and Labrador Holdings told the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board that the 1.5-billion-dollar subsea connection is the most affordable source of energy over the next four decades.
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She also describes the project as an opportunity to fundamentally change the province’s electricity market that would provide more stable pricing.
But consumer advocate John Merrick says Nova Scotia would be better off if it didn’t lock into one project for 35 years.
He says the price for electricity from Muskrat Falls is largely based on the cost of constructing the 180-kilometre link – and it’s likely that will be more costly than other sources of power.
Merrick also says if the board dismisses the project, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will die.
He says it might still be attractive for Nalcor – Newfoundland and Labrador’s Crown utility – to build the link.
The hearings are scheduled for the next two weeks.
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