Maritime Electric unveils environmental assessment for Northumberland Strait cable project

Islanders have had a first look at an environmental assessment of Maritime Electric's plan for new underwater power cables from the mainland.

The utility hosted an open house in Charlottetown to show details of the plan to bury the cables under the Northumberland Strait, starting next summer.

It's a chance for people to study the plan, ask questionsand voicetheir concerns.

The cables will be buried and once we're out of the strait, the fishers will never know we were there.- John Gaudet, Maritime Electric

The 700-page document outlines the possible risks from the project, including those to the fishery, and what the power company plans to do about it.

"The cables will be buried and once we're out of the strait, the fishers will never know we were there," said John Gaudet, of Maritime Electric.

There have already been meetings between the PEI Fishermen's Association and Maritime Electric, and those meetings did result in some changes.

Construction dates have been moved around, to minimize disruption to lobster and scallop fishing.

So far, the fishing group is reacting positively to Maritime Electric's consultation work.

"At the end of the day we're looking for the least amount of disruption," explained Ian MacPherson, the executive director of the P.E.I. Fishermen's Association.

"We were pleased to see the last option in terms of the equipment that's going to put in the cable is going to have a lot smaller input that we initially thought."

Islanders can also see the environmental assessment online.

There are more environmental issues surrounding the work, including the protection of water, land and marine life, that are detailed in the assessment.

Maritime Electric says the new cables will be safer than the old ones, because they will be solid throughout.

The old cables contain oil, for insulation purposesand have been known to leak.

There will probably be more cables buried in the future,as the Island's energy needs continue to grow.

"We feel these cables need to be planned in a sequence," said Gaudet. "We very well could be looking for more cables in 20 years plus."

Maritime Electric will host another open house Wednesday at the legion in Borden-Carleton.