Hydro closing Holyrood station would be an 'act of insanity,' says Muskrat Falls critic

A critic of the Muskrat Falls project says a future decision from Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro to close the Holyrood power generating station could spell disaster in the coming years.

Des Sullivan has spoken about the issues facing the project for close to a decade through the Uncle Gnarley blog, and was part of the Muskrat Falls inquiry in 2018.

He called the project "an act of deceit" Tuesday, accusing the provincial government and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro of changing the narrative of the project in order to get it sanctioned in 2011.

On the heels of news that Hydro will delay the decommissioning of the Holyrood station — a key power source for the Avalon peninsula — by another year, Sullivan says following through with a shutdown would be a mistake.

"I think it would be a complete act of insanity to close the Holyrood generating station," Sullivan told CBC News. "That is the only alternative source of supply for the province in the event of a [Labrador-Island Link] failure."

The Holyrood generating station will stay in operation until at least the spring of 2024, according to a letter from Hydro to the province's utility regulator. The decision is connected to continued delays at Muskrat Falls, along with growing questions about whether or not the Labrador-Island Link transmission line will be able to withstand severe weather like ice and rainstorms.

The link was damaged in January 2021, which took six weeks to repair and brought concerns over power security in the province.

"Now, you can imagine, we had Dark N.L. going on for one week with major social and economic fallout. Imagine a crisis lasting six weeks or longer," Sullivan said.

Hydro president and CEO Jennifer Williams could not provide a cost estimate for the Holyrood life extension, saying a staffing and maintenance strategy is being developed. A series of recommendations will also be provided to the province's Public Utilities Board in the summer.

But Sullivan says more answers are needed in the short-term to ensure the province has power security.

"The whole idea at the time was to get sanctioned," Sullivan said in reference to Muskrat Falls.

"Now today, partly as a result of last January's events and partly too because of Dark N.L., this whole notion of security of supply has reemerged. We can see this is a serious, serious issue on the LIL."

Sullivan said conversations about power security shouldn't have to happen in the winter months, which he says shows the need for reliable power in Holyrood — even if it has to be converted into a more eco-friendly option.

"I really don't [think] we have a choice but to maintain Holyrood," he said.