Overview
The Maritime Link is part of a larger strategy to address the growing demand for more renewable energy. It will enable the transmission of clean, renewable and reliable electricity from Newfoundland and Labrador to Nova Scotia and beyond.
About the Link
The Maritime Link will allow Nova Scotia to import hydro electricity from the Muskrat Falls generating station in Labrador, which is being developed by Nalcor Energy as part of the Lower Churchill Project.
The Maritime Link Project is a 35-year investment equal to 20 percent of the total cost of Phase I of the Lower Churchill Project and the Maritime Link, in exchange for 20 percent of the electricity from Muskrat Falls.
The Maritime Link is owned and operated by NSP Maritime Link Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Emera Newfoundland & Labrador.
Project infrastructure
The Project includes 170 kilometres of subsea HVdc (high-voltage direct current) transmission cables under the Cabot Strait, overhead transmission in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia and the following elements and associated infrastructure:
- transmission corridors
- two switchyards
- two converter stations and adjoining substations
- two transition compounds
- two grounding sites
- two onshore anchoring sites
- other infrastructure, as required
Learn more about infrastructure
Benefits
For Nova Scotia, the Maritime Link will create more energy options and reduce dependency on coal-fired generation. It will also help meet Canadian federal regulations requiring a 50 percent reduction in coal emissions by 2030 and Nova Scotia regulations requiring 40 percent renewable energy by 2020.
For Newfoundland and Labrador, the Maritime Link connects the island of Newfoundland to the North American grid for the first time in history. This alternative electrical-transmission route makes the abundance of energy in Newfoundland and Labrador available for export to Nova Scotia and beyond.