FREDERICTON: NB Power Chief Executive Officer Lori Clark has strongly defended the utility’s plan to construct a new natural gas-powered generating station, declaring it the best option to protect New Brunswick residents from widespread electricity blackouts within the next two years.
Speaking before a provincial legislative committee, Clark stated that the provincially owned utility altered its regular approval protocols specifically to accelerate the project in the best interest of customer security. Her defense follows a highly critical report from New Brunswick Auditor General Paul Martin, who accused NB Power of rushing the proposal process without conducting adequate risk evaluations. Martin argued that by bypassing standard governance procedures and entering a long-term contract before regulatory approval, the utility exposed itself to millions of dollars in potential financial risks and contractual penalties.
The proposed 500-megawatt dual-fuel facility, designed to operate on natural gas and diesel, cleared a major hurdle by securing regulatory approval from the province’s Energy and Utilities Board. However, construction cannot officially begin until the project clears the governing Liberal provincial administration’s environmental impact assessment. NB Power maintains that the fast-tracked facility remains an urgent requirement to ensure grid reliability and prevent immediate power shortages as older coal and oil stations near retirement.
