Lower Churchill project years away from sanction and development

The Lower Churchill project has been a soapbox for the Williams Government in their nationalistic fight against Quebec over the past several years, but facts are now shedding light on how far away this province actually is from reaching a deal that would see this project developed, says Opposition Leader Yvonne Jones. The issue was raised earlier today in the House of Assembly.

The two options currently being considered by government involve transmitting power through Quebec or going under the Gulf of St. Lawrence through the Maritime Provinces. The Williams Government has already concluded that the Quebec option will be tied up in the courts for years, and while the premier has touted the maritime route as his preference, the technical challenges and costs associated with that project will also take several years to address.

“Any potential maritime route for Lower Churchill power would have to go through New Brunswick and the Premier of that province has stated in the media that they have not been approached to discuss any options related to this project,” said Ms. Jones. “In addition, as confirmed by Nalcor officials last week, no environmental assessments have been filed for transmission across the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Any such study would require years of environmental review and government hasn’t even tabled an Environmental Impact document to start the lengthy process.

“Over the weekend the people of the province received more information about the Lower Churchill project from New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham than we have ever received from either the provincial government or Nalcor. Premier Graham stated that the estimated price per kilowatt hour is 16 cents which is very expensive power, and indicated that the project has significant obstacles such as technical issues associated with underwater cables and capital costs.  If this information put forward by New Brunswick is not accurate, I challenge Premier Williams and Nalcor to provide more accurate information to the public instead of their continuous rhetoric.

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