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NB Power gets its rate hike

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It didn’t take long, but New Brunswick’s Energy and Utilities Board gave NB Power almost everything it asked for.

After nearly two weeks of hearings last month, the EUB announced Wednesday it had approved a 4.75 per cent rate hike for the fiscal year ending in 2027.

When it made the request, NB Power said it needed the increase in order to address a material and growing infrastructure deficit that would put reliability at risk and lead to higher costs in the future because of unplanned outages.

In its decision, the EUB said it had considered a number of factors raised by interveners during the hearings, including affordability and the effect of rate increases on low-income and other vulnerable New Brunswickers.

“The Board is acutely aware of the effect of increased rates on NB Power’s customers but cannot arbitrarily reduce rates to punish the utility for past shortcomings,” the decision stated.

“Preventing NB Power from recovering costs where the evidence demonstrates those costs are prudent would harm ratepayers by leading to higher rates in the future or creating unacceptable reliability and safety risks.

“For better or worse, NB Power’s current financial circumstances cannot be ignored.”

NB Power also asked the EUB to approve new rate designs and rates related to electric vehicle charging and optional net-zero rate offering, rental rates increases for its customer energy solutions products and services, a higher wind balancing charge, an AMI opt-out fee (a fee for customers who refuse to have the new smart meters installed), and other rates, charges and proposals.

Everything was approved except NB Power’s request to implement a rate rider to recover revenue that would be lost because the new rates would be implemented after April 1.

NB Power must now refile certain documents to the EUB.

After the board approves them, an order will be issued approving rates for each customer class and the related rate schedules and the EUB will set dates for the new rates to go into effect.

Nichola Taylor NB ACORN - EDITED PICTURE

NB Power review calls for support programs efficiency, advocates push for more

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While NB Power’s review calls for improving the efficiency of support programs, advocates say more needs to be done.

A comprehensive review of NB Power was released Monday.

The report, Fit for the Future, outlines 50 recommendations aimed at ensuring affordable and stable electricity rates, safe and reliable service, and a sustainable, competitive utility.

One recommendation from the panel of utility and energy experts who authored the report calls for a review of current social programs, energy-efficiency initiatives and energy-use management programs to determine which provide the best value for money.

The recommendation also calls for identifying which organization is best suited to deliver each program, whether that be NB Power, the provincial government or another entity, to improve overall effectiveness.

Nichola Taylor, chair of NB ACORN, said the organization is “glad” affordability was addressed by the utility’s review panel but said more action is needed to address the province’s energy affordability challenges.

“The cost of living is really affecting New Brunswickers in a big way, and we need a lot more help from those who can give it,” she said.

According to the Human Development Council’s 2025 Energy Poverty Report, New Brunswick has the second-highest rate of energy poverty in Canada, behind only Newfoundland and Labrador.

Related: NB Power rate hike delay not enough, say advocates

Related: Researchers urge rebate program as NB Power defends proposed increase

The report highlights how energy poverty disproportionately affects low-income residents, with more than 68 per cent of low-income households spending six per cent or more of their after-tax income on energy costs. Households exceeding that threshold are considered energy-poor.

With affordability becoming a growing concern, Taylor said the province should implement a dedicated energy rebate program for low-income residents.

She said existing measures, such as the 10 per cent energy rebate, do not go far enough.

“People who can’t afford their heat aren’t turning it on, so it’s not balanced, it’s not fair for people on low and moderate incomes,” she said.

Taylor said because some low-income households limit their energy use to cut costs, they receive little benefit from the province’s current rebate program.

She said ACORN would like to see a rebate program modeled after the Ontario Electricity Support Program, which provides monthly bill credits to eligible low-income households.

Taylor added the organization would also like NB Power to expand debt-forgiveness options and make the winter disconnection moratorium permanent.

“This is something [the province and NB Power] can be working on or should have been working on in order to help people,” she said.

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Researchers urge rebate program as NB Power defends proposed increase

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Human Development Council researchers wrapped up NB Power’s evidence period, urging more support for low-income households.

HDC researchers Liam Fisher and Heather Atcheson were the final witnesses in the utility’s two-week-long rate hearings.

The poverty research team authored HDC’s 2025 Energy Report, which the organization submitted as evidence in NB Power’s hearings before the Energy and Utilities Board.

During these hearings, NB Power is seeking approval to raise energy rates by 4.75 per cent for the coming year.

According to various media reports, this is part of a long-range financial plan that, if approved, would see power rates increase by 50 per cent over six years, by March 2028.

During their testimony last Wednesday, the researchers told the hearing that rising electricity prices are creating a serious affordability challenge for low-income households — groups that, according to the report, include seniors, newcomers, people with disabilities and others. They also warned that without targeted protections, future rate increases will continue to disproportionately impact these residents.

“There are projects and programs in place that are addressing other areas of energy poverty,” Atcheson said. “But the low-income affordability piece is something we would recommend be looked at.”

Related: Hearings begin for NB Power rate hike

Related: EUB rejects interim rate hike request from NB Power

Related: NB Power rate hike delay not enough, say advocates

During cross-examination, the researchers suggested that either the province or NB Power consider adopting a low-income affordability program similar to those used elsewhere in Canada.

They pointed specifically to Ontario’s Electricity Support Program, which provides monthly credits to help reduce electricity bills for qualifying low-income households.

During the hearings, NB Power executives agreed that rising electricity prices would create affordability issues for some of their customers. But in last week’s final arguments, NB Power said the EUB can’t consider affordability when deciding on a proposed rate hike.

In Friday’s final-arguments hearing, EUB chair Christopher Stewart asked the utility’s lawyer, John Furey, what the board could do if the proposed rates were deemed unaffordable for some residents. Furey said the board didn’t have jurisdiction over those issues.

John Furey is NB Power’s lawyer. PHOTO: EUB/YOUTUBE

“That is a matter of social policy that each of the courts of appeal I referenced have said is best left to government,” he said.

Furey said NB Power acknowledges that rate changes in the recent years have created challenges for some, but argued the utility needs the rate hike to invest in infrastructure, maintenance, and major projects like the Matacquac Dam and Point Lepreau.

A decision on any rate increase is reserved by the board and is expected in the coming months. However, since NB Power’s hearings were delayed by several weeks, the board has suggested any decision will not affect rates until June.

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NB Power rate hike delay not enough, say advocates

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Despite the delay of NB Power’s proposed 4.75 per cent rate hike, advocates warn higher power bills will still hit low-income residents hard.

In a ruling Monday, the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board rejected NB Power’s request to increase electricity prices, which, if approved, would have taken effect April 1.

Instead, the board decided to delay the rate hike until June or July, stating that an interim rate order is an “extraordinary remedy and is not intended to shield utilities from the known or reasonably foreseeable consequences of their business decisions.”

Related: EUB rejects interim rate hike request from NB Power

According to multiple media reports, the delay until July 1 would result in a revenue loss for NB Power — and savings for customers — of about $22.3 million.

However, New Brunswick ACORN chair Nichola Taylor said the organization is not slowing down its efforts to stop the hike altogether.

Taylor said the advocacy group has filed written submissions on behalf of low- to moderate‑income people, as well as those on fixed incomes, urging the EUB to consider how another increase would affect the most vulnerable.

“It’s really difficult for them because they have to make some tough choices,” Taylor said. “They’re making those choices of, ‘Do I put the heat on and stay warm, or do I put food on my table?’”

Taylor said another increase would be “too much” for many families.

Report finds energy costs hitting low‑income households hardest

According to the Human Development Council’s 2025 Energy Poverty Report, New Brunswick has the second-highest rate of energy poverty in the country.

Electricity costs rose 21 per cent between 2021 and 2025, leaving many New Brunswickers unable to afford essential needs — from heating to running medical devices. The report notes that increasing energy bills have pushed households into debt or left them at risk of disconnection.

The report also highlights the disproportionate impact on low‑income households, with more than 68 per cent spending over six per cent of their after-tax income on electricity. HDC executive director Randy Hatfield said households crossing that threshold is considered energy‑poor.

“Increased energy, increased rent, increased food costs are putting tremendous burden on low‑income New Brunswickers,” Hatfield said.

Before another rate hike is introduced, Hatfield said the province and NB Power should develop a more comprehensive energy‑poverty strategy.

He acknowledged existing NB Power programs aimed at reducing energy use and costs, such as the enhanced energy savings program and the winter disconnection moratorium. But he said more is needed, particularly around payment plans and debt management.

“If you are merely postponing payments of the debt, and making prepayment options too onerous, you’re not dealing with [the problem] in the long term,” he said.

Like Hatfield, Taylor believes more needs to be done on debt forgiveness and said ACORN is pushing for stronger measures, including a permanent winter moratorium.

Acadia Broadcasting reached out to NB Power, which declined an interview.

In an emailed statement Friday, spokesperson Elizabeth Fraser said the utility recognizes that affordability is a “real” concern for many customers.

Fraser said NB Power is offering programs to help New Brunswickers manage their energy use and reduce costs by improving home and business energy efficiency, including through its enhanced energy savings program.

The utility has also launched initiatives such as the Vulnerable Populations Committee to explore additional ways to support people struggling with affordability.

zebra-mussel

Invasive Zebra mussel colonization confirmed in Wolastoq / Saint John River

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The Canadian Rivers Institute, based at the University of New Brunswick and N.B. Power, has released findings from a 2025 bio-monitoring program.

During the 2025 field season, 81 locations were surveyed. A total of 22 adult zebra mussels were documented at only three locations. Of the documented mussels, 21 were found at hydroelectric generating stations (19 found at Mactaquac Generating Station, two found at Beechwood Generating Station).

The CRI says no zebra mussels were found at Tobique Narrows Generation Station or Grand Falls Generation Station.

The other zebra mussel was located at where Belleisle Bay and the Wolastoq meet, marking the CRI’s furthest downstream discovery.

“The current low-level colonization provides an important opportunity to take informed, proactive steps to better mitigate negative impacts to infrastructure and reduce the risk of spread to other waters in New Brunswick,” said Canadian Rivers Institute’s Dr. Meghann Bruce.

Zebra mussels are freshwater hinged mollusks that are invasive to Canadian waters. They are native to the Black and Caspian seas region in southeastern Europe. According to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, zebra mussels entered the Great Lakes in the late 1980s through ballast water emptied from ships. They have spread through eastern Canada and the United States since then.

These mussels are capable of rapid population growth and infrastructure fouling. This could mean damage to dams and other related forms of hydroelectric infrastructure, as well as changes to food webs, fish spawning areas, interference with native mussels, and other ecological impacts.

The CRI says ongoing monitoring is aimed at understanding what colonization could look like for New Brunswick’s freshwater systems. 2025 results show that although the invasive species is establishing itself on infrastructures, the Wolastoq / Saint John River is not yet experiencing widespread colonization.

To see the full release from the Canadian Rivers Institute, click here.

To see Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s research on Zebra mussels, click here.

person holding white printer paper

Hearings begin for NB Power rate hike

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Further examination will begin today as the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board Public considers a proposed 4.75 per cent rate hike for NB Power.

Public hearings begin on Monday morning at 9:30 and are scheduled to continue until March 20.

NB Power filed its application for the increase in October last year

The crown utility claims the current rates will be insufficient to provide for the full recovery of its revenue requirements for the 2026/27 fiscal year.

If the increase is approved, it will go into effect on April 1.

a light bulb sitting on top of a wooden table

Virtual public forum for NB Power proposed rate hike

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A proposed 4.75 per cent NB Power hike will be the focus of a virtual public forum on Thursday, March 5.

The New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board is hosting the Zoom event from 6 to 8 pm.

This is part of NB Power’s 2026-27 general rate application that was submitted in October last year.

If passed, it would amount to around $130 more per year for the average customer.

More details about tonight’s public forum can be found on the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board website.

Written comments can also be submitted to the Board, but they must be received by 4 pm on Thursday.

Public hearings for the rate hike begin on Monday.

a microphone on a stand

NB Power faces criticism in gas plant approval process

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A proposed gas plant in Tantramar continues to stir up controversy.

This time, NB Power is facing criticism after what’s been described by interveners as a non-transparent, last-minute attempt to keep the plant approval afloat at the expense of fairness, due process and public accountability.

According to a statement from the Atlantic Wildlife Institute and Protect the Chignecto Isthmus Coalition, NB Power filed a package of “late evidence” with the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) just a week before an oral hearing is scheduled to begin on Feb. 9.

The AWI statement said the new evidence introduced a previously undisclosed commercial arrangement, a potential Expansion Tolling Agreement tied to the Tantramar project.

“The filing came after regulatory processes were effectively complete, including information requests, expert evidence and preparation for cross-examination,” the statement said.

“Rather than being disclosed openly and in a timely manner, the material was introduced without notice, emailed though (sic) while a RIGS motions hearing was in process and consists largely of redacted, confidential, and confidential-restricted documents.”

AWI’s statement accused NB Power of blindsiding interveners who have spent months reviewing what they thought was a complete application.

“Only to be confronted at the 11th hour with material that appears to fundamentally alter the project under construction,” the statement said.

Specifically, AWI said the new material suggests a potential expansion or restructuring of the project, adding an additional 100 megawatts of power in contract with the province of Nova Scotia.

AWI said the potential changes could have direct implications on several fronts, including:

  • Project economics and risk allocation
  • Ratepayer exposure
  • The assessment of need
  • Alternatives analysis
  • NB Power’s least-cost planning obligations

But even with the significance of those implications, AWI said interveners haven’t been given the opportunity file information requests on the new material, submit responsive or expert evidence, review or challenge confidentiality claims, or prepare cross-examination based on a stable and complete evidentiary record.

“Compounding concerns, NB Power acknowledged that the agreement may have been signed as early as Dec. 31, 2025, raising serious questions about why it was withheld from interveners, the public and the (EUB), including during the January motions day,” AWI said.

AWI said the latest NB Power move follows the utility’s insistence on “an artificially rushed hearing schedule,” which NB Power said is necessary to meet an April 2 contract deadline with ProEnergy.

“That compressed timeline forced interveners into an accelerated process, a constraint now being used to justify the late introduction of material evidence,” AWI’s press release said, adding it creates chaos days before the hearing begins.

Interveners also argued a pattern is emerging, showing a lack of transparency and respect for the regulatory process by NB Power.

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First Nations gain stake in N.S. and N.B. energy project

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Indigenous ownership in Atlantic Canada’s energy system is expanding. A new federal loan will help First Nations in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick buy into a major transmission project.

The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) is providing $54 million in equity loans to support Indigenous ownership in the Wasoqonatl intertie, a 160‑kilometre, 345‑kilovolt transmission line running parallel to the existing connection between Onslow, Nova Scotia, and Salisbury, New Brunswick.

CIB said the new financing brings its total commitment to the project to $285 million.

Under the plan, $36 million will go to Wskijinu’k Mtmo’taqnuow Agency Limited, allowing Nova Scotia’s 13 Mi’kmaw First Nations to acquire an equity stake.

Another $18 million will support MUIN Transmission Limited Partnership, giving New Brunswick Mi’gmaq First Nations their first ownership position in a large‑scale clean‑energy project.

The loans are being delivered through the bank’s Indigenous Equity Initiative, which is intended to help Indigenous communities access affordable capital for major infrastructure projects.

CIBC, the project’s lead arranger, is contributing an additional $264.3 million in Indigenous equity loans and project construction financing.

The CIB noted that its investment includes measures designed to preserve about $200 million in savings for Nova Scotia electricity customers.

The Nova Scotia Energy Board has approved the project, and Nova Scotia Power reported that construction is underway, with completion targeted for 2028.

CIB added that the intertie will improve electricity trade between provinces, strengthen grid resilience and energy security, and support long‑term affordability.

Ownership of the project will be held through a regulated utility corporation that includes Nova Scotia Power, the Canada Infrastructure Bank, MUIN Transmission Limited Partnership and Wskijinu’k Mtmo’taqnuow Agency Limited as limited partners.

Construction is expected to support about 587 direct and indirect jobs and generate $105 million in GDP.

The bank noted it has now committed more than $2.2 billion to 12 projects in Atlantic Canada, including wind farms, energy storage, broadband expansions and industrial energy upgrades.

Natural Resources Canada outlined additional federal support, including $4.38 million for pre‑development work under the Electricity Predevelopment Program and $20.1 million under the Strategic Interties Predevelopment Program.

The department also provided $220,210 to Wskijinu’k Mtmo’taqnuow Agency Limited through the Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program.

Federal ministers, provincial officials, First Nations leaders and regional utilities described the project as a significant step forward in Indigenous participation in clean‑energy development and long‑term regional collaboration.

NB Power Head Office

NB Power asks for another rate increase

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Power rates in New Brunswick could be on the rise again.

NB Power is seeking an order allowing for a temporary rate increase while it waits for the Energy and Utilities Board to rule on an application made in October.

The motion for an interim order outlines two requests.

First, allowing a temporary increase of 4.75 per cent beginning April 1.

Failing that, the second request is to “allow NB Power to recover any loss in revenue associated with a delay in implementing new rates after April 1, 2026, over the remainder of fiscal year once the decision has been rendered on the GRA (general rate application).”

In a release from the utility, it is stated the measure is necessary due to the delayed hearing date of the GRA.

NB Power said the delay is the result of a scheduling issue caused by the Renewables Integration Grid Security project that is moving through the EUB regulatory process, with hearings set for Feb. 9 to 13.

“Typically, a GRA hearing and decision would have occurred in time for any new rates to take effect at the start of the utility’s new fiscal year, April 1, 2026,” the release said.

NB Power claims any delay to the start date of a rate increase “will significantly impact the utility’s revenue and its ability to make critical investments or improve its financial health.”

The proposed 4.75-per-cent increase would apply across all rate classes.

According to the utility, the average residential customer using 1,350 kilowatt hours per month would see an increase on their bill of approximately $10.90 per month.

The funds would go directly toward upgrading essential infrastructure, ensuring a reliable supply of power for homes and businesses and supporting a transition to clean, modern energy solutions.

If the interim rate motion is accepted, the rate would be in place until the EUB makes a final decision following the planned GRA hearing in March.

If the alternative motion is approved, the EUB would permit NB Power to recover lost revenue resulting from the delay in setting new rates through a separate charge.

The charge would only be applied after the GRA is finalized and would only be in place until March 31, 2027.

According to NB Power, the primary drivers for the rate change request are a need for improvements in reliability and station performance to address an infrastructure deficit, as well as inflation, market prices and customer support.

On its website, NB Power stated specific investments would be made in generating station reliability, vegetation management, cybersecurity and energy efficiency programs.

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