The Maritime Link

Emera Newfoundland & Labrador Maritime Link Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Emera Newfoundland and Labrador Holdings Inc., is proposing to design, consult, obtain environmental assessment and regulatory approvals, develop and operate the Maritime Link Transmission Project between the Island of Newfoundland and Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The Maritime Link is a new 500 MW, +/-200 to 250kV high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system that includes the following elements and associated infrastructure:

  • Subsea cables;
  • Shore grounding facilities;
  • Two converter stations and adjoining substations;
  • Transmission corridors (HVDC transmission, HVAC transmission, grounding system transmission lines);
  • Two transition compounds (for converting underground subsea cables to overhead transmission conductors); and
  • Other potential infrastructure, as required.

    • There are three main components to the Project:

    1. In Newfoundland, a new transmission line between Cape Ray and Bottom Brook along an existing transmission corridor, and Bottom Brook to Granite Canal in a combination of existing and new corridors.
    2. Across the Cabot Strait, two subsea cables spanning approximately 180 km from Point Aconi, Nova Scotia to Cape Ray, Newfoundland (exact location to be determined).
    3.  In Nova Scotia, a new transmission line (approximately 50 km in length) parallel to the ex

      isting transmission corridor centerline between Point Aconi and Woodbine.

    The socioeconomic context for the Maritime Link is the growing demand for more renewable energy as part of a comprehensive, long-term and sustainable electrical power management strategy. In addition to supply/demand management, a key component is the need to gradually reduce or eliminate dependency on existing commercial-scale carbon-based generation facilities. In Atlantic Canada, as in many other jurisdictions, alternatives are being aggressively pursued and developed, particularly wind and tidal power. Although these renewable energy alternatives can collectively account for a significant increase in electrical power, unfortunately, even when fully developed, they operate intermittently and require another reliable base load generation.

    The Lower Churchill Hydroelectric Generation Project will significantly contribute to the increasing production of renewable energy in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, to the point where energy from all generation sources will be surplus to its current and foreseeable requirements. This surplus energy will be available for export through the Maritime Link to the existing mainland power grid in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.