P.E.I.'s underwater electric cable project officially plugged in

It's taken more than a year to complete with delays along the way but the project to install two new underwater cables across the Northumberland Strait is completeand was officially launched Tuesday.

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The installation of two new underwater electric cables between P.E.I. and New Brunswickis the largest infrastructure project P.E.I. has undertaken since the construction of the Confederation Bridge, officials said.

"That's really what we're marking here is a milestone likely one that very few of us will take part in again in our lifetimes in terms of the capacity that this gives us to transmit and access... energy," said P.E.I. Premier Wade MacLauchlan.

"We have established an energy system for Prince Edward Island that is reliable, affordable and increasingly renewable," he added.

Cables officially plugged in

On Tuesdayat a ceremony in Borden-Carleton, Maritime Electric handed over ownership of the cables to the provinceand the underwater cables were officially plugged in.

"Our role was that of construction agent," explained Maritime Electric CEO John Gaudet."Sounds simple, but I can assure you it wasn't. Our role included the engineering, the design and the procurement, obtaining the regulatory approvals in P.E.I. and in New Brunwick."

The project comprises two 180-megawatt underwater cables that connectPrince Edward Island to mainland New Brunswick.

It spans 17 kilometres from Cape Tormentine, N.B., to Borden-Carleton, P.E.I.

The new cables replace 40-year-old cables that had hada capacity of 200 megawatts of energy.

'Lower energy costs'

"This new electricity connection will lower energy costs for residents and businesses, create jobs, and grow our economy so that we can continue to increase prosperity for all Islanders," saidMacLauchlan.

The underwater cableswill increase the province's total electric power capacity to 560 megawatts andwill supply about 75 per cent of the Island's electricity.

"Our daily capacity right now is up to 260, and we expect that to go up over the next fiveto 10 years, so this is going to give P.E.I. more capacity, security of electricity supply, but also an opportunity for more green export of our power," saidPaula Biggar, P.E.I.'s Minister of Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy.

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'Some ripples along the way'

The new system took more than a year to completeand experienced some delays, but it was completed on time and on budget, officials said.

"It's been a project of great magnitude with some ripples along the way and getting through those says a lot about all of our partnerships that we've had working together with community, with industries," said Biggar.

The cost of the $142.5 million projectwas shared by federal and provincial governments

The federal government contributed$68.9 million to theproject under the Green Infrastructure Fundand the P.E.I. governmentcontributed $73.6 million.

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