Labrador power should stay in maritimes: activist
Neal Livingston, owner of Black River Hydro Limited in Cape Breton, says five of the province's seven coal-fired plants could be shut down if the power from the Newfoundland and Labrador project stayed in Nova Scotia.
"It appears from the information that I've read that that isn't going to be the case, that probably what Emera's going to do is turn off one of the coal-fired power plants and that most of this power's going to be shipped to New England," he said.
Nova Scotia Power president Rob Bennett says the deal will allow the utility to move away from its dependence on coal and meet the province's targets for renewable energy, although he hasn't said whether any coal-fired plants will close.
Livingston, who operates hydro and wind energy projects, will be disappointed if the energy continues onward.
"Government could take the step and say, 'All of this power has to be used in Nova Scotia to turn off coal,' but government is not doing that."
The undersea transmission line that will carry the power to Nova Scotia will make land in Cape Breton, likely at Lingan, close to existing land transmission lines.
The exact location has not been determined, and will be subject to an environmental assessment review.
Nova Scotia Power says there will also be a substantial investment in a station that will convert the current from DC to AC power. The station will cost about $100-million to build.
Newfoundland and Labrador's Crown-owned energy corporation, Nalcor, and Emera have agreed on a term sheet to develop an 834-megawatt power plant at Muskrat Falls in central Labrador.
The deal will see Nalcor develop the hydro project and the companies will build subsea power lines from Labrador to Newfoundland. Emera would then pay the cost of building additional subsea power lines to Nova Scotia.
Related News

Class-action lawsuit: Hydro-Québec overcharged customers up to $1.2B
MONTREAL - A group representing Hydro-Québec customers has filed a motion for a class-action lawsuit against the public utility, alleging it overcharged customers over a five-year period.
Freddy Molima, one of the representatives of the Coalition Peuple allumé, accuses Hydro-Québec of "abusing its monopoly."
The motion, which was filed in Quebec Superior Court, claims Hydro-Québec customers paid more than they should have for electricity between 2008 and 2013, to the tune of nearly $1.2 billion.
The coalition has so far recruited nearly 40,000 participants online as part of its plan to sue the public utility.
A lawyer representing the group said Quebec's energy board, the Régie de l'énergie, also recently approved Hydro-Québec…