Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson is meeting in Ottawa today with the premiers of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as the federal government looks to help both get off coal power by the end of the decade. Wilkinson rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Patrick Doyle
OTTAWA – Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are scaling back plans for the Atlantic Loop electricity grid to expanding just one existing connection between their two provinces.
What they are now calling a “modified Atlantic Loop” is part of a joint policy statement agreed to Monday in Ottawa during a meeting between federal Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson and the premiers of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says the smaller project will cost between $1 billion and $2 billion and can be finished by 2029.
The joint policy statement has both provinces and the federal government agreeing to co-operate on planning to ensure both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick eliminate coal power from their electrical grids by 2030 and to a fully greenhouse-gas emission-free grid by 2035.
Last week, Nova Scotia pulled back from the full Atlantic Loop citing ballooning costs and a lack of commitment from Quebec to share more power.
The Atlantic Loop was intended to build new electricity links to share hydro power from Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2023.
