Nova Scotia Power

File:NSPower Logo.PNG

Nova Scotia Power Incorporated is a power generating and delivery company in Nova Scotia. It is privately owned by Emera and regulated by the provincial government.

History

The Nova Scotia Power Commission was formed in 1919 by the provincial government, following the lead of several other Canadian provinces in establishing Crown corporation electrical utilities. The commission constructed and opened its first hydro plant at Tantallon the following year.

Throughout the 1920s-1960s the commission grew as private and municipal owned hydro plants and electrical utilities went bankrupt and/or sold their assets. In 1960, Nova Scotia was connected to the New Brunswick Power Corporation in the first electrical inter-connection between provinces in Canada.

The commission underwent unprecedented expansion during the late 1960s when five new thermal generating stations were constructed to meet the growing residential and industrial demand in the province.

In 1974, the Nova Scotia Power Commission was amalgamated with Nova Scotia Light and Power Ltd. to form the Nova Scotia Power Corporation (Nova Scotia Power Incorporated, or NSPI), remaining a provincial Crown corporation.

In 1984 NSPI opened the world's first tidal generating station on the Annapolis River at Annapolis Royal.

In 1992, NSPI was privatized by the provincial government of Premier Donald Cameron in what was then the largest private equity transaction in Canadian history. Cameron's government had been under heavy pressure to control provincial deficits and debt servicing resulting from his predecessor administrations, thus the controversial decision to sell the Crown corporation.

On December 2, 1998, NSPI shareholders voted to restructure the company to create a holding company which would be shareholder-owned, with the regulated utility being a wholly owned subsidiary of the holding company. On December 9, 1998, NSPI received approval to establish NS Power Holdings Incorporated and NSPI shareholders exchanged their shares in NSPI for shares in NS Power Holdings Inc. on a one-to-one basis on January 1, 1999. Common shares in NS Power Holdings Inc. began trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange and Montreal Stock Exchange on January 6, 1999. The NS Power Holdings Inc. name was changed to Emera Incorporated on July 17, 2000.

Generating Facilities

NSPI operates a variety of generating stations using various sources of energy:

Thermal

• Lingan Generating Station, Lingan (coal)
• Point Aconi Generating Station, Point Aconi (coal)
• Point Tupper Generating Station, Point Tupper (coal)
• Trenton Generating Station, Trenton (coal)
• Tuft's Cove Generating Station, Tuft's Cove (oil/natural gas)

Tidal

• Annapolis Royal Generating Station, Annapolis Royal

Wind

• Grand Etang
• Little Brook

Hydroelectric

• Wreck Cove
• Paradise
• Nictaux
• Mersey
• Fall River
• Tantallon
• Sheet Harbour

• 26 other hydro plants

Independent

NSPI also purchases energy from independent power producers who generate electricity using wind, hydro and biomass.

References

• Nova Scotia Power
• Power Production
• Emera Inc