08 December 2011

The price of hydro exports #nlpoli

Via National Public Radio (New York) comes a series on the cost to Americans of importing electricity from Canada.

The second instalment – aired December 6 – focused on Labrador and the Muskrat Falls project. 

There’s the familiar cost from Labrador opponents of the project, in this case former Conservative cabinet minister Joe Goudie:

But when you talk with a lot of the people concerned about those changes, many—not just Gaudi [sic] —bring up their parents.

“They [Nalcor Energy] just don’t understand that it [the river]  is a part of our lives.”

And then there is the irony of the potential future sources of energy for New York:

Opponents to [Nalcor vice president Gilbert] Bennett’s plan say natural gas could be a better alternative to cut emissions. But the irony is, that while the dam is controversial in Labrador, gas drilling is controversial in New York. They’re two conflicts that will play out simultaneously, as both places decide who will power who — and how.

Either way, “Canadian hydro would come at a price”.

- srbp -