New Brunswick’s surplus power sales to U.S. could close Irving Paper, firm warns

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Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
Date: 2026-10-30 15:32:23.0
Tags: [New Brunswick, Energy, Industry, Economy, Governance]

J.D. Irving Ltd. executive Mark Mosher warned that a policy change by New Brunswick's Crown-owned electric utility, NB Power, could force the closure of the Irving Paper mill and increase operational costs by an estimated $10 million annually. The policy shift allows NB Power to sell its excess surplus electricity to out-of-province and U.S. buyers at market rates first, forcing in-province industrial clients to rely on more expensive excess power. Energy Minister Rene Legacy stated that the provincial Liberal government will not intervene or reverse the regulatory decision, leaving the matter to be reviewed through an application submitted by J.D. Irving Ltd. to the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board.

Rally urges New Brunswick government to rethink energy plans

Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
Date: 2026-10-20 20:56:59.0
Tags: [New Brunswick, Energy, Environment, Climate, Infrastructure, Technology]

Protesters rallied outside the New Brunswick Legislature during the reading of the speech from the throne to oppose government energy and industrial plans, including the proposed Tantramar gas plant, Lorneville data centres, Sisson mine, and the potential re-opening of fracking. Advocates, including the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and the Save Lorneville group, raised concerns over pollution, public health risks, and an increased strain on utility provider NB Power, noting one proposed artificial intelligence data centre would draw 200 megawatts. In response, Premier Susan Holt stated that her government will enforce stringent draft policy conditions requiring projects to demonstrate no negative impacts on water resources or energy rates alongside clear community benefits before receiving approval.

New Brunswick data centre debate highlights cross-country tension over AI facilities

Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
Date: 2026-10-19 11:49:46.0
Tags: [New Brunswick, Energy, Technology, Infrastructure, Environment, Economy]

New Brunswick Crown-owned electric utility NB Power has received 10 confidential applications from data centre projects requiring up to 900 megawatts of power, sparking cross-country tension and citizen opposition. Notable proposals include a $2 billion artificial intelligence hub by Beacon Data Centers and VoltaGrid featuring a 400-megawatt data centre in Saint John, a $2.7 billion, 375-megawatt proposal by Faster Than Light in Fredericton, and a 50-megawatt campus proposal by U.S. firm Cross River Infrastructure Partners. While the provincial government works on a data centre policy framework to spur economic growth and tax revenue, grassroots groups like Save Lorneville are demanding a moratorium due to environmental and power grid concerns.

New Brunswick gets $219 million loan from Ottawa for hydroelectric dam repair work

Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
Date: 2026-10-13 17:06:33.0
Tags: [New Brunswick, National, Infrastructure, Energy, Environment, Climate]

The federal government announced nearly $270 million in funding for New Brunswick energy facilities, featuring a $219 million loan from the Canada Infrastructure Bank for the Mactaquac Life Achievement Project and a $50 million grant to upgrade the Salisbury Terminal near Moncton. The funding supports technical studies, regulatory reviews, and planning to extend the 672-megawatt Mactaquac Generating Station's operational life to 2068, counteracting concrete swelling caused by alkali-aggregate reactions. NB Power officials stated that the total project cost is projected to approach $9 billion, while the federal government emphasizes the investment's alignment with Ottawa's net-zero electricity grid goals by 2050.

New Brunswick utility is proposing rate hikes over next three years

Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
Date: 2026-10-07 18:31:29.0
Tags: [New Brunswick, Energy, Affordability, Infrastructure]

New Brunswick's public utility, NB Power, is proposing an average electricity rate hike of 5.5 per cent for each of the next three years, which would result in an increase of $13.25 a month for a home using 1,350 kilowatt hours. The multi-year rate application submitted to the province's power regulator is intended to help households and businesses plan ahead while addressing the utility's aging system infrastructure and $6-billion debt. If approved following a review by the New Brunswick power regulator, the new rates could come into force starting next April.

Ontario’s World-Class Nuclear Supply Chain Building Canada’s First Microreactor Project

Source: Ontario - Ministry of Energy and Mines
Date: 2026-10-05 21:15:00.0
Tags: [Ontario, New Brunswick, Energy, Technology, Infrastructure, Indigenous]

Ontario-based BWXT Canada has been selected to fabricate and deploy Canada's first Transportable Nuclear Power Plant using BWXT Advanced Nuclear Reactor technology for an Indigenous-led 50-megawatt pilot project in Belledune, New Brunswick. Developed by Prodigy Clean Energy under an agreement with Pabineau First Nation and Eel River Bar First Nation, the facility will provide clean baseload power for up to 40,000 homes. The project will create more than 150 development jobs, roughly 40 long-term operational positions, and establish a centralized hub and Indigenous Energy Innovation Visitor Centre.

2nd potential AI data centre worries Saint John residents: ‘We have questions’

Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
Date: 2026-10-05 20:52:15.0
Tags: [New Brunswick, Municipal, Energy, Technology, Environment, Infrastructure]

Residents in Saint John, New Brunswick, represented by the advocacy group Save Lorneville, are raising concerns over a second proposed large-scale artificial intelligence data centre following the revelation of plans by U.S.-based Cross River Infrastructure Partners. The proposed project has initially requested 50 megawatts of network-firm power through correspondence with Opportunities New Brunswick, adding to ongoing public scrutiny over an already proposed 390-megawatt data centre and gas plant at the Spruce Lake Industrial Park by VoltaGrid and Beacon Data Centers. Local advocates and residents have cited a lack of updated regulatory frameworks, unknown impacts on municipal water and electrical grid capacity, and potential risks to greenhouse gas emissions and public health.

Could a single Maritime power grid make electricity more reliable?

Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
Date: 2026-09-27 09:00:00.0
Tags: [Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Energy, Infrastructure, Governance]

The premiers of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding in July to explore a regional road map for electricity transmission and the creation of a Maritime-wide Independent System Operator (ISO). The proposed non-profit entity would operate at arm's length from provincial governments and private utilities such as Nova Scotia Power, N.B. Power, and Maritime Electric to optimize cross-border resource sharing, renewable energy integration, and grid reliability by 2050. This regional cooperation follows Nova Scotia's establishment of its own provincial ISO last year and is supported by federal funding initiatives aimed at constructing new underwater transmission cables between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.

Atlantic business leaders call for regional policies and more natural resource development

Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
Date: 2026-09-25 21:34:13.0
Tags: [New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Economy, Trade, Energy, Resources, Mining, Industry]

The Atlantic Economic Panel, chaired by Don Mills and commissioned by federal Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) Minister Sean Fraser, released a strategic growth plan calling for the creation of a $1 billion Atlantic prosperity fund to help regional companies scale up. The report recommends greater regional integration, including the establishment of an independent electricity system operator across the four Atlantic provinces, the elimination of interprovincial trade barriers, coordinated immigration policies, and streamlined regulatory processes for major projects. Furthermore, the plan urges a 50 per cent expansion of the region's natural resources sector, bolstered by recent provincial policy shifts such as Nova Scotia lifting bans on fracking and uranium mining and approving five new mines.

Eastern Canada business leaders call for ‘single economy’ between Atlantic provinces

Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
Date: 2026-09-25 14:16:00.0
Tags: [Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Economy, Trade, Labour, Infrastructure, Energy, Immigration]

The Atlantic Economic Panel, appointed by federal minister Sean Fraser and chaired by Crane Cove Holdings Ltd. president Don Mills, released a report calling for the creation of a 'One Atlantic Canada' single economy by 2035 across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. To combat low productivity, labour shortages, and regulatory barriers, the report outlines seven major recommendations, including a $1-billion Atlantic Prosperity Fund, a $25-billion integrated electricity system managed by a region-wide independent system operator, the removal of all trade and labour mobility barriers, and regional infrastructure partnerships. Additional targets include growing the region's population past 3 million with a 1.8 percent annual growth rate, doubling exports to Europe to over $30 billion, mobilizing $100 billion in new natural resource investments, and enhancing the aerospace, defence, shipbuilding, and artificial intelligence sectors.

MP calls on New Brunswick to reject proposed AI data centre in open letter to premier

Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
Date: 2026-09-18 20:42:41.0
Tags: [New Brunswick, Energy, Technology, Infrastructure, Economy]

Conservative Member of Parliament John Williamson has written an open letter urging New Brunswick Liberal Premier Susan Holt to reject a proposed artificial intelligence data centre in Saint John by Beacon Data Centers. Williamson warned that the facility's 200-megawatt demand on the provincial power grid—part of a total 390-megawatt requirement where Beacon AI proposed to generate 190 megawatts on site—would overwhelm public utility NB Power and trigger severe electricity rate hikes for local residents. Williamson criticized Premier Holt for promoting the unapproved project at a Toronto investment summit, arguing that the provincial government must play hardball to shield ratepayers from major price increases.

N.B. utility secures wood pellet supply deal to transition only coal power plant

Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
Date: 2026-09-17 16:18:12.0
Tags: [New Brunswick, Energy, Environment, Climate, Infrastructure]

NB Power has signed supply agreements with Canadian sustainably sourced wood and agricultural hemp pellet suppliers to provide the majority of the biomass fuel required for the Belledune Generating Station. The contracts enable the Crown-owned utility to advance equipment upgrades and transition the coal-fired power plant to a renewable fuel source in compliance with the goal to phase out coal by 2030.

New Brunswick’s nuclear power plant expected to be off-line for weeks, official says

Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
Date: 2026-09-16 22:06:15.0
Tags: [New Brunswick, Energy, Infrastructure]

The Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station, operated by NB Power in Point Lepreau, New Brunswick, is expected to remain off-line for several weeks due to a heavy-water leak from a broken instrumentation line. Workers identified the issue after the 43-year-old facility—whose nuclear core was rebuilt 14 years ago—was taken off-line on September 11, marking its third shutdown of the year following a previous multi-month maintenance period and an early September turbine repair. NB Power stated that there is no risk to the public, employees, or the environment while crews work on a repair plan.

New Brunswick aiming to attract $30 billion in investment at Toronto summit

Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
Date: 2026-09-14 18:07:55.0
Tags: [New Brunswick, Economy, Finance, Industry, Energy, Mining]

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt and provincial officials are attending the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto to pitch eight capital investment projects totaling more than $30 billion. The initiatives include a new nuclear development, a proposed data centre, and the Sisson Mine project, focusing on critical minerals, advanced materials, energy, digital infrastructure, and transportation. University of New Brunswick political science department chair Herb Emery noted that while the summit could yield contracts and commitments, the long-term projects will generate GDP too far in the future to immediately address the province's current budget deficits.

New Brunswick wants public feedback on data centre plan

Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
Date: 2026-09-01 19:55:48.0
Tags: [New Brunswick, Energy, Technology, Environment, Infrastructure]

The New Brunswick government is seeking public feedback until October 2 on a draft data centre policy designed to prevent electricity rate spikes and minimize environmental impacts while supporting Canadian artificial intelligence development. The provincial consultation coincides with a regulatory review of the proposed 390-megawatt Spruce Lake AI Hub located west of Saint John, which was pitched by Beacon Data Centres and VotaGrid.

New Brunswick gives green light for 500 MW gas plant, subject to conditions

Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
Date: 2026-08-28 15:29:11.0
Tags: [New Brunswick, Energy, Environment, Infrastructure]

The New Brunswick government has granted conditional approval for the 500-megawatt Renewables Integration Grid Security natural gas plant in Tantramar, N.B., built by U.S.-based ProEnergy. NB Power has secured a 25-year contract to utilize the facility—which features 10 refurbished jet turbines running on the Maritimes and Northeast pipeline—to prevent rolling blackouts and backstop weather-dependent renewables. Environment Minister Gilles LePage stated that ProEnergy must comply with 45 strict conditions covering air and water quality monitoring, emergency management, and wildlife tracking, with the plant restricted to burning natural gas no more than 17 per cent of the time. Additionally, Nova Scotia's energy operator has entered into a 10-year agreement to purchase 100 megawatts of power from the facility, which is scheduled to begin operations by 2028.

New Brunswick to review lifting natural gas moratorium

Source: New Brunswick - Regional News
Date: 2026-08-26 19:06:44.0
Tags: [New Brunswick, Energy, Resources, Economy, Trade, Indigenous]

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt announced a five-month public review of the province's resource development to evaluate lifting the decade-old moratorium on hydraulic fracking for natural gas. Prompted by rising cost-of-living pressures, increased energy demand, and 50 percent U.S. tariffs implemented by the United States, the government aims to assess safety, environmental standards, and economic opportunities. Natural Resource Minister John Herron and Indigenous Affairs Minister Keith Chiasson noted that the process will feature extensive consultations with First Nations communities. The comprehensive review findings are scheduled to be announced in January 2027, with monthly progress reports issued by the provincial government.