Maritime Electric delays underwater oil leak repairs

Maritime Electric says repair work will resume on an oil leak in its underwater cable in the Northumberland Strait next week.

Crews started to repair an oil leakin its cable on Sunday, but bad weather over the weekend damaged the barge crews were working on.

The company said the barge is now in port waiting to be fixed.

Maritime Electric noticed two leaksin their cablesearlier this Spring. The cables bring electricity from the mainland to the Island.

So far the companyhas completed repairsto a separate leak in a portion of the cable above the water on the New Brunswick side of the Confederation Bridge.

The estimated cost of the repairs is close to $5 million. The P.E.I. government has been lobbying Ottawa for financial assistance to build a third cable to the mainland, at an estimated cost of $90 million. The existing cables are 34 years old, and have an expected lifespan of 40 to 50 years.