This afternoon the hearing began in front of the Utility Regulator Board for NewPage Port Hawkesbury and Strait Bio-Gen's plan to construct a biomass burning power generation facility at NewPage's mill in Cape Breton.

In fact this afternoon's hearing was almost terminated when Chairman Peter Gurnham found out the controversial plan hasn't even received the blessing of the utility’s board of directors.

It appears that Nova Scotia Power is attempting to fast track the plan burn up biomass for 25 years at a cost of $1 billion. Chairman Gurnham expressed frustration about critical details of the project which are missing including: debt financing for the $60-million project, details of the power contract, cost of transmission upgrades to deliver the electricity and the repeated reluctance of NSP executives to say whether it is a prudent project for customers.

Nova Scotia Power is eager to have the biomass burning plan authorized to meet new pollution regulations that go into effect in 2010 stating that 5% of electricity comes from renewable energy sources.

Although the biomass co-gen facility will create jobs, the public is very concerned that the amount of biomass required to run such a facility would be at the cost of the sustainability of the area's forests.

The hearing will continue tomorrow in Halifax.

Read more:
Biomass hearing almost halted by angry URB chairman (Chronicle Herald)