FREDERICTON – NB Power has been given the green light by the Department of Environment and Local Government to install new submarine cables between Deer Island, Campobello and Grand Manan in order to keep providing the Fundy Isles with safe and reliable power.

The original cables that are supplying power to the islands were installed in 1978, with an anticipated service life of 40 years, and therefore are nearing the end of their useful life.

The submarine cables will be installed as per the original plan identified during the Environmental Impact Assessment and communicated during the public consultation process.

The terrestrial work started this fall and will be completed in the spring and summer of 2019. The Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) work will be completed during the spring and summer of 2019. The submarine cables will be delivered and installed during July and August of 2019 and the remainder of the overhead transmission line work will be completed in the fall of 2019.

The Fundy Isles Project will be broken down into three main contracts. The site expansion contract is being carried out by Fundy Contractors Ltd. of St. George. The HDD work has not yet been awarded. The cable supply and installation contract is being finalized.

The new cables will be placed adjacent to the existing cables in accordance with feedback obtained during the public consultation period with various stakeholders and First Nations ...