More ‘cost-effective’ ways to achieve energy and environmental goals than Atlantic Loop, says NS Prime Minister

Nova Scotia seems to be out of sync.

“Given the current state of discussions with the federal government and how they are approaching this, I think it would be fair to say that I believe there are currently more cost-effective methods of achieving our regulatory goals than the Atlantic Loop. .” That said Prime Minister Tim Houston on Thursday after a cabinet meeting.

“Discussions are ongoing between the federal government and various partners,” Houston said of a proposed $6 billion project that would improve electricity transmission capacity in the Atlantic region to facilitate the influx of hydropower from Quebec and from Newfoundland and Labrador.

The project has long been touted as a key part of the Houston government’s now-legislated commitment that the county must generate 80 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

“The Atlantic Loop can help achieve the goals, but we’re certainly not pinning all our hopes on the Atlantic Loop,” Housto said. “There are other options we can pursue, and many are made in Nova Scotia.”

The premier said there are a number of ways to meet provincial environmental goals, but his main focus remains on the impact of the various roads on Nova Scotia’s taxpayers.

The cost of constructing two-way direct transmission lines between Quebec and New Brunswick is estimated at $6.1 billion. An anonymous federal source shared information with the Canadian press last week that showed the federal government had offered to invest $4.5 billion to make the project possible.

The aim of the federal government was to reach an agreement in principle with all stakeholders by this summer, so that the project can be completed by 2030.

Meagan Byrd, who works in the office of the Prime Minister of Nova Scotia, said in an email that Ottawa’s federal investment offer in reality requires Nova Scotia taxpayers to pay back the $4.5 billion.

“The payment would be in the form of a long-term loan to be repaid by Nova Scotians,” Byrd said. “It would also mean Nova Scotians paying for infrastructure in Quebec. Of course, we cannot support a proposal whereby Nova Scotians pay more.”

The prime minister said on Thursday that the Atlantic Loop has always been something that would in many ways make it easier for the province to achieve its environmental goals, including moving the province away from coal as a generator of electricity by 2030.

“It was never all and all,” said Houston. “If you weigh the needs to meet the goals… and strike the balance with affordability and making sure that Nova Scotians are treated fairly in relation to the cost of this, if the Atlantic Loop is just not economically viable it is too big a financial burden for Nova Scotians, we need to look at other alternatives. That’s kind of where we are.

“In a different time, a different proposal, and a different partnership with the federal government, the Atlantic Loop may seem like a more attractive part of the overall situation, but it doesn’t look like an attractive part of the overall solution for Nova right now. Scotians. .”

Houston said he is looking at all other alternatives.

“We have incredible wind speeds, both onshore and offshore,” he said. “We have incredible potential around tidal opportunities.”

Houston said Canada as a country has no electricity generated by offshore wind. “Think how ridiculous that is,” he said.

Houston said nuclear power could also be part of the mix.

Tory Rushton, the province’s Secretary of Natural Resources and Renewable Energy, picked up on that theme.

“No further figures from the federal level have been shared with us on what their investment is in this,” Rushton said. “Because there isn’t such a full commitment on the federal level about finance, we’re certainly looking at other options, made-in-Nova Scotia options.”

The minister pointed to possible projects in the field of wind energy, tidal energy and green hydrogen.

Rushton said federal Secretary of Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc has discussed the federal contributions to get an Atlantic Loop deal done, “but no number has been shared from that federal level to us, nor are we alone players at the table. There are provinces that are affected.”

The complexity of the loop project is compounded by the number of participants, including three provincial governments, the federal government and three utilities, one of which (Nova Scotia Power) is private,

Rushton delivered a new offshore wind roadmap on Wednesday outlining the county’s vision for the offshore wind industry. He outlined the regulatory path for companies to invest in projects.

“Nova Scotia offers some of the best offshore wind resources in the world, with enough capacity to serve both local and international green hydrogen markets,” said Rushton. “We will use this geographic location to our advantage as we pursue offshore wind as one of many solutions to help combat climate change and grow our green economy. This is a great opportunity for Nova Scotia.”

Last fall, the Prime Minister announced a target to offer seabed rentals for five gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030. The roadmap will help to achieve that goal.