St. John’s, NL – On Wednesday, August 17, the horizontal directional drilling (HDD) team completed the final borehole at Point Aconi, NS, marking a significant milestone for the Maritime Link Project. With the completion of the boreholes at Cape Breton and at Cape Ray, these cable landing sites are ready for installation of two subsea cables across the Cabot Strait by mid-2017.

Managed by Emera Newfoundland & Labrador’s Marine Team, the primary contractor responsible for this work is Direct Horizontal Drilling Inc., based out of Alberta.

“Considering the potential challenges involved, from the hardest rock to coal seams and the environmental constraints, we couldn’t be more pleased that the drilling team has completed this work so effectively. Another on-time and on-budget success for the whole project team,” says Rick Janega, President and CEO of Emera NL.

HDD is a steerable underground drilling method to install underground pipes and casings without having to trench. This method ensures minimal impact, preventing disturbance to shorelines and sensitive intertidal areas.
Since March 2016, Emera NL’s Marine Team and five HDD contractors have been working towards the safe completion of this work. The total HDD program included transporting the rig to both provinces by barge, mobilizing the rig on each site, 24 hour operations of drilling boreholes and lining them with steel casing that will be used in 2017 to pull the subsea cables ashore without disturbing the coastline.

On the island of Newfoundland, two boreholes were drilled, each about 635 m. On the Nova Scotia side, two boreholes were also drilled, each about 1,135 m in length. This work was completed on budget and two days ahead of schedule.

“The completion of these boreholes is the culmination of more than two years of HDD planning and execution. The entire team has done a terrific job and we appreciate their tireless dedication to this safe and efficient operation,” says Janega.

Contractors involved in this activity include: