Province approves Tantramar gas/diesel plant with 45 conditions

The New Brunswick government has approved construction of a 500 MW gas/diesel plant near Centre Village subject to 45 conditions that require the U.S. company PROENERGY to monitor air and water quality and submit a net zero greenhouse gas emissions plan after one full year of operation.

Other conditions require the company to:

• engage in ongoing information-sharing with the Elsipogtog First Nation throughout the project in relation to any impacts on plants or wildlife, including moose.
• work with the Tantramar Fire Department in the preparation of an Emergency Management Plan and Fire Safety plan that specifically addresses the provision of a water supply for firefighting purposes for potential fires at the facility. Those plans must be submitted to the government before construction begins.
• investigate any complaints from local residents about negative effects on the quality and quantity of the water in their private wells. If it’s determined that PROENERGY is responsible for any negative effects, the company would be required to provide a temporary water supply for short-term impacts or to repair, remediate, or replace any permanently affected wells which might include deepening a well or drilling a new one.

PROENERGY would also be required to operate the generating plant using natural gas as the primary fuel and notify the government when it is using diesel and for how long.

Although the conditions state that PROENERGY must operate the plant primarily in synchronous condensing mode that does not require burning fuel, it will be allowed to burn fuel to generate electricity up to 17 per cent of the time calculated on a yearly basis.

Human health

During a 30-minute news conference, Environment Minister Gilles LePage said he is satisfied with the 45 conditions.

“Some of the concerns addressed in the conditions included potential risk to human health,” LePage said in his opening statement.

“A human health risk assessment concluded that risks are negligible to minimal. Air quality monitoring will be conducted to maintain compliance with regulatory standards during operations,” he added.

“I’m very confident that this project will minimize the impact on human health.”

When asked about local opposition to the project, LePage said he would reassure residents in Tantramar that the 45 conditions will address all of their concerns.

He also pointed out that one condition requires PROENERGY to inform the public regularly about construction activities and the project’s progress.

Indigenous support

When asked how the government could continue to support the project if there is no Indigenous investment in it or approval for it, LePage pointed to the requirement to share information with the Elsipogtog First Nation.

“So, it is not a condition or essential to the project that there be Indigenous investment or buy-in or approval?” a reporter asked.

“No, my role and our role as an EIA process is to evaluate a project on the environmental impacts on a proposed project on a certain site,” the minister answered.

“The business case, the financial part, we are not engaged in that aspect,” he said, adding that the question should be directed to PROENERGY.

‘Bad, expensive, polluting idea’

Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton says she’s not surprised the Holt government has approved the gas plant.

“It’s a bad, expensive, polluting idea,” she said in a telephone interview with Warktimes.

“PROENERGY is the proponent, but NB Power has invited them here and the Holt government is backing this up,” she adds.

“Certainly there’s a list of conditions and I think they tried to make it look like a really long list, but a lot of it is basically saying that the company must follow the law,” Mitton says.

She mentioned what she sees as the negative effects on air, water and human health.

“It’s extremely dangerous for them to move forward with these things, these projects, when we know we have other options and we are in a climate crisis and I didn’t even talk about the cost. $3.5 billion. Think of what else we could do with that.”

Mitton points to the premier’s announcement that the moratorium on fracking is under review, now combined with her government’s approval of the gas plant.

“It’s becoming very clear where Holt really stands on these things. And it’s very clear that the Greens are the only ones who are fighting for the right to a healthy environment, are fighting for a real energy transition, and are the only ones that really have progressive views and want to make sure we have a fair economy and a fair energy system,” she says.

“Unfortunately, the other old parties are stuck in their old ways and are continuing to really just crank out the same ideas from previous centuries.”

Mayor’s statement

Meantime, Tantramar Mayor Debbie Wiggins-Colwell issued a carefully worded statement on Facebook.

“Both the former and current council of Tantramar opposed this project, but we must move forward with the expectation that all public concerns are reflected in the conditions attached to the certificate approval,” her statement says before encouraging residents “to rely on official sources of information for updates regarding the process.”

To read the mayor’s statement, click here.

To read the New Brunswick government’s complete list of 45 conditions for the project, click here.