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ARTICLE · 27 NOVEMBER 2020

The Atlantic Loop: Québec-Atlantic Grid Integration Could Generate Green Benefits

Stikeman Elliott LLP
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Atlantic Canada's electricity is generated primarily from fossil fuels (coal, diesel, fuel oil and natural gas) and one nuclear power plant, Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station...

CanadaEnergy and Natural Resources
Erik Richer La FlèChe
Erik Richer La FlèChe
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Atlantic Canada's electricity is generated primarily from fossil fuels (coal, diesel, fuel oil and natural gas) and one nuclear power plant, Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station, with a net capacity of 660 MW. But Atlantic Canada's renewable energy potential is considerable.

In its Throne Speech on September 24, 2020, the Government of Canada announced its support for the Atlantic Loop, a project to "connect surplus clean power to regions transitioning away from coal."

The Muskrat Falls project on Labrador's Churchill River is an 824 MW hydroelectric generating station planned to begin operations in early 2021. Muskrat Falls also includes 1,600 km of transmission lines, including two undersea links. The first undersea link will connect Labrador to the Island of Newfoundland, and the second Newfoundland to Nova Scotia.

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