“Access to reliable, always-on power is getting harder and harder to come by in Atlantic Canada—even as power rates continue to climb.”

Here’s a headscratcher for you: how can a province with a population of 550,000 people export enough electricity to heat more than four and a half million homes—and still be a cold snap away from rolling blackouts?

On Saturday, January 24th, NL Hydro asked residents to conserve energy by lowering their thermostats, turning off lights and avoiding use of large appliances. The reason? A buildup of slushy, underwater ice was blocking intake systems at the Bay d’Espoir hydroelectric generating plant. The situation was so serious that it shut down electricity generation for the first time since the station opened in 1967. Bay d’Espoir normally generates 604 MW of power. With the plant offline, officials warned the island was at risk of a power emergency. Rolling blackouts were a very real possibility.

That wasn’t the only time N.L.’s power system made January’s headlines.

December’s utility bills were greeted with shock and disbelief when they arrived early in the new year. Residents complained their bills seemed extraordinarily high, with some reporting a 200 per cent increase from the previous month.

It’s not hard to see why the N.L. public is upset with their power supplier. But Newfoundland and Labrador isn’t the only utility getting the cold shoulder this winter. As you’ll see in several stories this issue, access to reliable, always-on power is getting harder and harder to come by in Atlantic Canada—even as power rates continue to climb.

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