AI-generated summary
· Application · 04/09/2026
Nova Scotia Power filed a capital authorization application for the $4,388,679 Big Island Subsea Cable Replacement, citing end-of-life risk to the sole power supply for Big Island, Pictou County.
AI summary
- Nova Scotia Power Incorporated (CI C0080101) seeks NSEB approval for a Capital Expenditures authorization of $4,388,679 to replace an approximately 1,400m submarine distribution cable running from Brownsville to Big Island, Pictou County — the only source of power for island customers.
- The original 1977-vintage cable has exceeded its 40-year design life; it remains surface-laid on the harbour bottom and is exposed to third-party contact and environmental forces, with no redundant supply available to Big Island customers in the event of an unplanned failure.
- The total project estimate of $4,388,679 exceeds the 2026 ACE Plan subsequent submittal estimate of $3,539,067 by $849,612, with the variance attributed to additional marine geo-technical survey work, landfall civil execution, and marine cable protection requirements identified during detailed engineering.
- Land-based alternatives (overhead line and trenched underground cable along the Big Island causeway) were evaluated and rejected due to open-water exposure and elevated storm-driven failure risk; a subsea route through the more sheltered harbour was selected as the preferred long-term solution.
- The project is filed as a Class 3 estimate with a 15% contingency ($509,898), reflecting risks including weather, archaeological findings, cable route survey uncertainty, and marine mobilization; the in-service date is forecast for June 2027 with a final cost date of June 2028.
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What was filed
Documents filed on this day
- N-1 Application - CI C0080101 539N-210 Big Island Subsea Cable Replacement
- 101532 Letter NSPI re: Capital Items Filed Outside the Quarter Package