Put simply, whether Muskrat Falls come online or not, it cannot be relied upon. Without admitting their gross negligence at the start, Hydro is essentially saying that that we should try to salvage Muskrat Falls at an undefined cost and for for however short the duration it might operate.
The substance of Hydro’s mission is to satisfy the contracts with Emera to get large amounts of power flowing into Nova Scotia for the betterment of that province and its ratepayers. The Island could easily live without the Muskrat Fals project and in fact, other than for the onerous Emera contracts, NL ratepayers would be best off if it was abandoned and left to rust.
PlanetNL52: Happy Anniversary Emera on 1 Year of Official Energy Delivery
Not Quite What Emera Bargained For
Despite all the bad news related to Labrador Island...
$1 million is not bad farewell for a fellow whose work performance represents one of the principal reasons for a twenty million dollar Public Inquiry, and who failed so badly in his job so badly that NL Hydro is still trying to define the mess that he (and others) has left behind.
Ms. Williams is long-winded on every issue except an explanation as to why the public has been handed a bucket of bolts for their $15 billion. Why would the public now give her Crown Corporation one more cent when she has failed to demonstrate either Hydro’s competence or the right to be trusted?
The relatively large size of the LIL to the small Island system means that if it trips out suddenly, the Island grid will experience a major disruption that risks a complete blackout. The only solution Hydro appears to have found to mitigate this risk is to build out additions to expand reserve capacity that can absorb the impact of such an event. That’s the simple and direct explanation that Hydro is failing to provide.
Nalcor (Hydro) and Government possessed an extensive set of air quality data allowing them to fully understand the situation. They also had consultant advice to adopt low-sulphur fuels rather than install pollution control systems. Despite that, they chose to cover up the facts and present the story of highest possible costs.