

Currently released so far... 12478 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
AU
ASEC
AE
AF
AORC
AEMR
AMGT
ABUD
AFFAIRS
APER
AS
AMED
AY
AG
AR
AJ
AL
AID
AM
AODE
ABLD
AMG
AFIN
ATRN
AGAO
AFU
AN
AA
ALOW
APECO
ADM
ARF
ASEAN
APEC
AMBASSADOR
AO
ASUP
AZ
AADP
ACOA
ANET
AMCHAMS
ACABQ
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
APCS
AGMT
AINF
AIT
AORL
ACS
AFSI
AFSN
ACBAQ
AFGHANISTAN
ADANA
ADPM
AX
ADCO
AECL
AMEX
ACAO
ASCH
AORG
AGR
AROC
ASIG
AND
ARM
AQ
ATFN
AC
AUC
ASEX
AER
AVERY
AGRICULTURE
BL
BR
BO
BA
BD
BM
BK
BG
BU
BB
BH
BTIO
BY
BEXP
BP
BE
BRUSSELS
BF
BIDEN
BT
BX
BC
BILAT
BN
BBSR
BTIU
BWC
BMGT
CA
CASC
CVIS
CM
CH
CO
CU
CD
CWC
CI
CS
CY
CMGT
CF
CG
CR
CB
CV
CW
CE
CBW
CT
CPAS
COUNTERTERRORISM
CJAN
CODEL
CIDA
CDG
CDC
CIA
CTR
CNARC
CSW
CN
CONS
CLINTON
COE
CROS
CARICOM
CONDOLEEZZA
COUNTER
CL
COM
CICTE
CIS
CFED
COUNTRY
CJUS
CBSA
CEUDA
CLMT
CAC
COPUOS
CIC
CBE
CHR
CTM
CVR
CITEL
CLEARANCE
CACS
CAN
CITT
CARSON
CACM
CDB
CAPC
CKGR
CBC
EC
EG
EPET
ECON
ETRD
EFIN
EIND
EMIN
ENRG
EAID
EAGR
EUN
ETTC
EAIR
ENIV
ES
EU
EINV
ELAB
ECIN
EFIS
ELTN
EWWT
ECPS
ECONOMIC
ENGR
EN
EINT
EPA
ELN
ESA
EZ
ER
ET
EFTA
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EUMEM
ETRA
EXTERNAL
EI
EUR
EK
ERNG
ENGY
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ENERG
EINVEFIN
ENVR
ECA
ELECTIONS
ETC
EUREM
ENNP
EFINECONCS
EURN
ECINECONCS
EEPET
EXIM
ERD
ENVI
ETRC
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ETRO
EDU
ETRN
EAIG
ECONCS
ECONOMICS
EAP
ECONOMY
EINN
EIAR
EXBS
ECUN
EINDETRD
EREL
EUC
ESENV
ECONEFIN
ECIP
EFIM
EAIDS
ETRDECONWTOCS
EUNCH
EINVETC
IZ
IT
IR
IS
IN
IC
IAEA
IO
ICAO
IWC
ID
IV
ISRAEL
IAHRC
IQ
ICTR
IMF
IRS
IDP
IGAD
ICRC
ICTY
IMO
IL
INRA
INRO
ICJ
ITU
IBRD
INMARSAT
IIP
ITALY
IEFIN
IACI
ILO
INTELSAT
ILC
ITRA
IDA
INRB
IRC
INTERPOL
IA
IPR
IRAQI
ISRAELI
INTERNAL
ISLAMISTS
INDO
ITPHUM
ITPGOV
ITALIAN
IBET
INR
IEA
IZPREL
IRAJ
ITF
IF
KDEM
KU
KPAL
KNNP
KCRM
KZ
KN
KS
KJUS
KTFN
KSCA
KV
KISL
KPAO
KPKO
KIRF
KTIA
KIPR
KFLO
KFRD
KTIP
KAWC
KSUM
KCOM
KAID
KE
KTDB
KMDR
KOMC
KWBG
KDRG
KVPR
KTEX
KGIC
KWMN
KSCI
KCOR
KACT
KDDG
KHLS
KSAF
KFLU
KSEO
KMRS
KSPR
KOLY
KSEP
KVIR
KGHG
KIRC
KUNR
KIFR
KCIP
KMCA
KMPI
KBCT
KHSA
KICC
KIDE
KCRS
KMFO
KRVC
KRGY
KR
KAWK
KG
KFIN
KHIV
KBIO
KOCI
KBTR
KNEI
KPOA
KCFE
KPLS
KSTC
KHDP
KPRP
KCRCM
KLIG
KCFC
KTER
KREC
KTBT
KPRV
KSTH
KRIM
KRAD
KWAC
KWMM
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KOMS
KX
KMIG
KRCM
KVRP
KBTS
KPAONZ
KNUC
KNAR
KPWR
KNPP
KDEMAF
KNUP
KNNPMNUC
KERG
KGIT
KPAI
KTLA
KFSC
KCSY
KSAC
KTRD
KID
KOM
KMOC
KJUST
KGCC
KREL
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFTFN
KO
KNSD
KHUM
KSEC
KCMR
KCHG
KICA
KPIN
KESS
KDEV
KCGC
KWWMN
KPAK
KWNM
KWMNCS
KRFD
MOPS
MCAP
MPOS
MARR
MO
MNUC
MX
MASS
MG
MY
MU
ML
MR
MILITARY
MTCRE
MT
MEPP
MA
MDC
MP
MAR
MASSMNUC
MARAD
MAPP
MZ
MD
MI
MEETINGS
MK
MCC
MEPN
MRCRE
MAS
MIL
MASC
MC
MV
MTCR
MIK
MUCN
MEDIA
MERCOSUR
MW
MOPPS
MTS
MLS
MILI
MTRE
MEPI
MQADHAFI
MAPS
NO
NATO
NL
NP
NZ
NSF
NI
NH
NG
NAFTA
NU
NASA
NR
NATOPREL
NSSP
NSG
NA
NT
NW
NK
NPT
NPA
NATIONAL
NPG
NSFO
NS
NSC
NE
NGO
NDP
NIPP
NRR
NEW
NZUS
NC
NAR
NV
NORAD
OTRA
OPCW
OVIP
OAS
OREP
OPIC
OIIP
OPRC
ODIP
OEXC
OPDC
OSCE
OIC
OSCI
OECD
OFDP
OFDA
OMIG
OPAD
OFFICIALS
OVP
OIE
OHUM
OCS
OBSP
OTR
OSAC
ON
OCII
OES
PGOV
PREL
PHUM
PTER
PINS
PINR
PREF
PK
PROP
PA
PARM
PBTS
PMAR
PM
PGIV
PE
PRAM
PHUH
PHSA
PL
PNAT
PO
PLN
PAO
PSA
PHUMPGOV
PF
PEL
PBIO
POLITICS
PHUMBA
PAS
POL
PREO
PAHO
PMIL
POGOV
POV
PAK
PNR
PRL
PG
PREFA
PSI
PINL
PU
PARMS
PRGOV
PALESTINIAN
PAIGH
POLITICAL
PARTIES
POSTS
PROG
PORG
PTBS
PUNE
POLICY
PDOV
PCI
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PBT
PP
PS
PY
PTERE
PGOF
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PPA
PINT
PRELP
PSEPC
PGOVE
PINF
PNG
PGOC
PFOR
PCUL
POLINT
PGGV
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PGOVLO
PHUS
PDEM
PECON
PROV
PHUMPREL
RS
RU
RELATIONS
RW
RO
RM
RP
ROOD
RICE
RUPREL
RSO
RCMP
REACTION
REPORT
REGION
RIGHTS
RF
RFE
RSP
RIGHTSPOLMIL
ROBERT
SU
SCUL
SNAR
SOCI
SF
SA
SHUM
SENV
SP
SR
SY
SANC
SC
SMIG
SZ
SARS
SW
SEVN
SO
SEN
SL
SNARCS
SNARN
SI
SG
SN
SH
SYR
SAARC
SPCE
SHI
SCRS
SENVKGHG
SYRIA
SWE
STEINBERG
SIPRS
ST
SNARIZ
SSA
SK
SPCVIS
SOFA
SIPDIS
SAN
TC
TI
TBIO
TH
TSPL
TRGY
TSPA
TPHY
TU
TW
TS
TAGS
TK
TX
TNGD
TZ
TF
TL
TV
TN
TD
TIP
TR
TP
TO
TT
TFIN
THPY
TERRORISM
TINT
TRSY
TURKEY
TBID
US
UK
UNGA
UP
UZ
UNMIK
USTR
UNO
UNSC
UN
UNESCO
UNAUS
UNHRC
UY
UG
UNHCR
UNCND
USOAS
USEU
UNICEF
UNEP
UV
UNPUOS
UNCSD
USUN
UNCHR
UNDC
USNC
UE
UNDP
UNC
USPS
USAID
UNVIE
UAE
UNFICYP
UNODC
UNCHS
UNIDROIT
UNDESCO
UNCHC
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 08HALIFAX58, NEWS FROM ATLANTIC CANADA'S ENERGY SECTOR
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #08HALIFAX58.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
08HALIFAX58 | 2008-08-11 19:46 | 2011-04-28 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED | Consulate Halifax |
VZCZCXRO8134
RR RUEHGA RUEHMT RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHHA #0058/01 2241946
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 111946Z AUG 08
FM AMCONSUL HALIFAX
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1320
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 0552
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHHA/AMCONSUL HALIFAX 1408
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HALIFAX 000058
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA/CAN, EB/ESC/ISC
USDOE FOR IA (DEUTSCH)
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EPET ENRG PGOV CA
SUBJECT: NEWS FROM ATLANTIC CANADA'S ENERGY SECTOR
REF: HALIFAX 0045
HALIFAX 00000058 001.2 OF 003
--------
SUMMARY:
--------
¶1. With annual energy exports from Atlantic Canada to the
United States now exceeding $14 billion, the region is poised to
become an even more important energy supplier in the future.
This cable reports on the latest developments across the region.
Overall, it has been a busy summer with good and bad news from
Nova Scotia's offshore sector. The province received its first
cash from a new federal-provincial offshore agreement, but it
also received money from penalties levied against three
companies for not fulfilling their exploration commitments.
While that was a stinging example of the slowdown in offshore
exploration, there was some good news as two U.S. companies were
the successful bidders for offshore parcels near Sable Island.
There is also new optimism in Nova Scotia's onshore oil and gas
sectors. In LNG news, the Quoddy Bay LNG project has been
delayed while Newfoundland-Labrador's Grassy Point LNG project
has received provincial approval.
¶2. In other energy sectors, parties interested in developing
the Churchill Falls project now know the guidelines that will be
used to conduct the environmental assessment of the project.
Work on New Brunswick's Point Lepreau nuclear power plant
refurbishment project is on schedule and the province is seeing
some new export possibilities with the proposed expansion of the
Maine power grid. At the same time, New Brunswick officials are
pondering the merits of turning to the private sector to develop
new power generation projects rather than involving its
financially-strapped utility. Nova Scotia's utility,
investor-owned Nova Scotia Power Inc., has a new CEO, who takes
over the helm at a time when there is new emphasis in the
province on developing alternative power sources. END SUMMARY
--------------------------------------------- -------
Good and Bad News from Nova Scotia's Offshore Sector
--------------------------------------------- -------
¶3. The government of Nova Scotia released a budget update on
August 5 to include new money from its offshore sector. The
province just received $234.4 million from the federal
government as a result of an agreement both levels of government
signed on June 13 that ended a decades-long dispute over
offshore payments. This issue began in 1986 when Nova Scotia
gave up its right to any provincial (Crown) share of offshore
projects on the assurance that the federal government would
compensate the province for doing so. The compensation plan
never materialized, and after years of political wrangling, in
January 2008, both levels of government agreed to appoint a
joint panel to settle the issue. The panel eventually worked
out an agreement that will give the province $870 million -
$234.4 million upfront, with the rest to be paid out over 15
years. Furthermore, the funds will be excluded from any
equalization payments the province will receive from Ottawa, a
contentious factor in previous attempts to resolve the issue.
¶4. Nova Scotia also got another $107 million in extra cash from
its offshore, although not the way provincial politicians and
industry stakeholders had hoped. On July 28 ExxonMobil Canada,
Marathon Canada and Imperial all let their exploration licenses
expire which saw them pay the province $107 million in penalties
for not having fulfilled their drilling commitments. That
leaves just three companies holding exploration licenses but
none are actively engaged in exploration work: Canadian
Superior, BepCo Canada and EnCana. BP Canada and Chevron also
hold acreage but it is on the Canadian side of Georges Bank in
the Gulf of Maine, an area under a federal-provincial
moratorium. There was some good news on July 10, however, when
two U.S. companies, partners Ammonite Corporation and Catheart
Energy, were the successful bidders for two offshore exploration
parcels near Sable Island. Under the terms of their bid, the
companies are committed to spending $103 million and $114
million respectively in the search for hydrocarbons. Ammonite
is a small, private petroleum exploration company headquartered
Connecticut, while partner Catheart Energy is based in Texas.
--------------------------------------------- -----
Onshore oil and gas: New Optimism for Nova Scotia
--------------------------------------------- -----
¶5. While Nova Scotia's offshore exploration scene has slowed,
there is increased interest in the potential of the province's
onshore oil and gas reserves. Unlike in neighboring New
Brunswick, there has never been a commercial onshore discovery
in Nova Scotia. Now three Calgary-based firms are hoping to
change that: Triangle Petroleum Corp., Stealth Ventures and the
HALIFAX 00000058 002.2 OF 003
newest player, Forent Energy. Triangle announced in June that it
plans to spend $35 million to drill up to six wells in its
search for shale gas; Stealth Ventures is exploring the
potential of developing an old coal mine that contains an
estimated 30 billion cubic meters of coal-bed methane gas; and,
on July 16, Forent received approval from the provincial
government for an exploration program for eastern Nova Scotia.
--------------------------------------------- --------------
LNG News: Quoddy Project Delayed/NL Project Clears a Hurdle
--------------------------------------------- --------------
¶6. The members of a New Brunswick group fighting the
construction of three proposed LNG terminals in Maine are
encouraged by the news that one of the companies is delaying its
project. Quoddy Bay LNG announced on July 16 that it would
delay upcoming hearings by the State of Maine because it has not
finalized gas supplies. A spokesperson said the company cannot
determine the precise chemical composition of the gas or what
processing equipment would be required until it can get a
supplier. Inflation in construction costs was another factor in
the decision. The company said it will use the time to review
its development plan which may include co-locating its project
with the other proposals: Downeast LNG and Calais LNG. In
other LNG news, on July 7 the Newfoundland-Labrador provincial
government approved the environmental assessment plan for the
proposed LNG terminal in Grassy Point Newfoundland-Labrador.
The proponent, Newfoundland LNG, is still waiting for the
federal environmental assessment to be finished.
--------------------------------------------- -
Update on Lower Churchill and Lepreau Projects
--------------------------------------------- -
¶7. On July 15, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and
the Newfoundland-Labrador Dept. of the Environment issued the
final guidelines for the preparation of the Environmental Impact
Statement for the Lower Churchill hydro project. The guidelines
will provide direction to the eventual proponent of the project
and will identify the information that will be required in the
statement of the anticipated effects of the project on the
environment. In other energy project news, New Brunswick Power
officials have said that the $1.4 billion Lepreau nuclear power
plant refurbishment project is on schedule. The fuel and heavy
water have been removed from the plant and the project has now
moved to the major work - refurbishment of the reactor itself.
---------------------------------------------
Future Electricity Exports from New Brunswick
---------------------------------------------
¶8. New Brunswick is seeing the possibility of new U.S. export
opportunities with the news that two private Maine utility
companies want to upgrade their power grid. Central Maine Power
and the Maine Public Service Company announced on July 3 they
are proposing to invest $1.9 billion in a project which would
connect northern Maine to the rest of the State's power grid for
the first time. Should the project go ahead, the two companies
would also look at making a connection to neighboring New
Brunswick. If that goes ahead, it would give New Brunswick some
new capacity to expand its exports to New England.
¶9. In planning for future export sales, New Brunswick
government officials have said the province will soon have to
decide on just what role its provincially owned power utility,
New Brunswick Power, will play in generating more electricity
for export. There is concern over the ability of NB Power to
take on new projects given its current fiscal status. In July
the New Brunswick cabinet approved more than $600 million in
loans to the utility: $200 million towards the Lepreau
refurbishment project, another $230 million to pay for
replacement fuel while Lepreau is offline and another $190
million to refinance the utility's debt which now stands at $3.4
billion. The alternative to having NB Power build new
generation capacity would be for the province to invite the
private sector to get involved. Provincial officials point to
the fact that there is already private interest in a possible
second reactor at Point Lepreau and in developing new wind
projects.
--------------------------------
News from Nova Scotia Power Inc.
--------------------------------
¶10. The former President and CEO of Bangor Hydro, Rob Bennett,
is now the new top executive at Nova Scotia Power Inc. (NSPI).
Both Bangor Hydro and NSPI are owned by Emera, a Nova Scotia
energy company. Bennett, a long-time NSPI executive and Nova
HALIFAX 00000058 003.2 OF 003
Scotia native, went to Bangor Hydro in 2002 to oversee Emera's
takeover of the utility. Also NSPI announced on August 1 that
it plans to use more biomass, including wood waste, to provide
electricity to power homes in the province. NSPI said it will
seek proposals from various sectors and independent power
producers for renewable energy projects fueled by biomass.
Since 2003, NSPI has signed agreements with independent power
producers for more than 300 megawatts of electricity from
renewable sources. Most of the agreements are for energy
generated by wind, but also include landfill gas and biomass.
--------
COMMENT:
--------
¶11. Atlantic Canada clearly has great potential to be a secure,
long-term energy supplier for the United States--especially for
New England. U.S. Energy Under Secretary Albright underscored
this theme during his June visit to Saint John, New Brunswick,
when he described the province as a very valuable energy partner
with the New England states. Newfoundland-Labrador and Nova
Scotia are similarly poised to be our strong energy partners.
The combined total of annual energy exports to the U.S. from
Atlantic Canada already exceeds $14 billion, with each Province
focusing on different energy exports: electricity from New
Brunswick, oil from Newfoundland-Labrador, and natural gas from
Nova Scotia. There are prospects for future growth in several
areas (reftel), but much will depend on how the demand for
energy in the U.S. northeast shapes up in the coming months and
on overall developments in global energy markets. END COMMENT
FOSTER