N.L. Hydro confirms Muskrat Falls schedule 'not achievable,' with completion date now uncertain
CBC
The plan to complete the troubled Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project by Nov. 26 is no longer possible because of ongoing problems with its specialized computer software, and N.L. Hydro says it's waiting on word from one of its contractors before setting a new target date for completion.
That means it's unclear whether Muskrat Falls electricity will be available for Newfoundland's power grid this winter, though N.L. Hydro officials say the oil-fired power generating station at Holyrood is available to meet the demand, with the plan to keep the aging and carbon-emitting facility in service until 2023.
In an Oct. 7 letter to Newfoundland and Labrador's Public Utilities Board, N.L. Hydro confirmed that the long-established completion date of Nov. 26 is "not achievable."
The delay is being blamed on GE Canada, which continues to have problems with the computer software required to operate the transmission line from Muskrat Falls to the Avalon Peninsula.
It's known as the control and protection software, and it's a critical component of the Labrador-Island Link, the 1,100-kilometre high-voltage direct-current transmission line from central Labrador to Soldiers Pond on the Avalon Peninsula.
GE Canada has been developing and testing the software, which is needed to operate the two power lines that will transmit up to 824 megawatts of electricity to Newfoundland.
Repeated deadlines for completion of the software have come and gone because of ongoing software bugs, and now N.L Hydro is waiting for a new schedule from GE as to when the software will be ready.
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