Feds, Saint John Energy invest in grid modernization
Saint John Energy is moving ahead with a project to modernize the city’s electrical grid.
The utility announced Grid Forward Saint John Friday, a project made possible with a $9.75-million investment from Saint John Energy and a matching investment from Natural Resources Canada.
“We’re looking to upgrade infrastructure,” Saint John Energy president and CEO Ryan Mitchell said. “We’re improving outage management and we’re introducing self-healing technology that can detect issues and restore power faster.”
Mitchell said the federal investment will allow the project to move faster.
“This project is part of our active grid initiative, where we are using data and advanced technologies to better manage electricity in real time, integrate more renewable energy and operate more efficiently,” he said.
Mitchell said a significant portion of the funding will be used to augment capacity already in the system, as well as upgrading underground infrastructure.
“In Saint John, we have probably more underground infrastructure than the balance of the rest of Atlantic Canada,” he said, adding that has contributed to Saint John Energy’s high reliability.
Construction on the project is expected to take several years, and Mitchell said the age of some existing infrastructure in the city means a lot of renewal, particularly in uptown Saint John.
Saint John-Kennebecasis MP Wayne Long, who announced of the federal contribution on behalf of Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson, said the upgrades will be out of sight, but they matter.
“They matter for people who depend on them,” Long said.
“We need to build the grid that can carry more clean power, connect more regions. That is critical for our province, it’s critical for us in southern New Brunswick.”
Long said the modernized grid would support more industrial and economic growth, and there are opportunities that could employ thousands of workers.
“We need to get behind these projects and make them happen for our community,” Long said. “We need to build the grid that strengthens our national security. We need to build a grid that gives workers and businesses the confidence, the confidence to come here. They know that they’ll have energy, electricity, they’ll have power.”
