CBC Article posted on July 18, 2023 by Patrick Butler · Radio-Canada. Click here for full article
In addition to Grand Riverkeeper Labrador’s ongoing concerns and opposition to the Muskrat Falls Development, starting at the environmental assessment process and prior discussions right up to sanctioning, planning and construction, we are still seeing more and more problems with the actual project. This is not even addressing all the broader concerns of negative ecological, social and cultural factors, which we will present in future blog posts. Stay tuned!
More troubles at Muskrat Fall Project
Some 9,000 new pieces of equipment must be installed to fix a recurring transmission issue tormenting the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project. The repairs will take four years, according to Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. About 9,000 new pieces of equipment must be installed on 161 spans of the 1,100-kilometre Labrador-Island transmission line from Muskrat Falls to Soldiers Pond on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula. (Terry Roberts/CBC)
The new devices, called “air flow spoilers,” are necessary to stabilize 161 spans of the Labrador-Island Link (LIL) power line, the 1,100-kilometre transmission line linking the Muskrat Falls plant to the Soldier’s Pond switchyard near St. John’s. Last December, three broken turnbuckles were discovered in remote sections of the Northern Peninsula and southern Labrador. In each case, the damage took at least 10 days to repair.
Hydro’s four-year plan promises to replace turnbuckles “in the highest risk and most remote areas [to] help reduce the duration of on outage in the event of a failure.” The most remote electrical towers are located about 100 kilometres away from the nearest regularly used roadway.
This latest chapter in the Muskrat Falls saga comes weeks after Hydro announced the vastly overbudget project’s price tag had hit $13.5 billion and an independent report stated at least one of the power plant’s four generating units must be fully dismantled.
Mega Dams create MEGA DAMAGE! Are you concerned about the Grand River and the impacts of hydro development? Follow our blog and stay tuned to the latest reports and studies on the subject! Grandriverkeeper Labrador Inc. monitors what’s happening and will keep you posted on topics of interest.
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