Importance to New Brunswick
Society has evolved to a point where we are truly dependent on the supply of electricity. Electricity refrigerates and cooks our food, powers our schools and hospitals, lights our buildings and streets, pumps our gas, enables electronic commerce, enables our ability to communicate via
telephone, internet and television and is integrated into the supply of food and water. Electricity powers and controls our factories, mines, mills, warehouses and places of business. Increasingly, electric power is also powering our vehicles. It is, therefore, essential that our electric system be reliable to ensure we have enough electricity at all times, and that it is available instantly when and where we need it.
Current Progress
New Brunswick enjoys a diverse fleet of strategically located, modern, well-maintained generating stations as well as a number of electrical interconnections with our neighbours. This ensures an uninterrupted supply of electricity should reliability issues arise in a particular area of the province or with a particular fuel type or generating station.
NB Power maintains the capacity to generate more electricity than our maximum usage demands, further ensuring sufficient supply. Our transmission grid, which loops around the province, allows NB Power to supply almost any point on the transmission system from either direction should an interruption occur. NB Power’s robust electric transmission and distribution networks have historically enjoyed above average reliability
statistics.
To ensure the reliability of our electric system is maintained, New Brunswick adopts and enforces mandatory reliability standards in conjunction with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC).
A Vision for the Future
New Brunswick will continue to have a modern, well-maintained and efficiently operated electric system which supplies New Brunswick homes and businesses in a reliable manner. Through careful and continuous planning, preventative maintenance, support for efficiency and demand side management, and adherence to industry-leading reliability standards, New Brunswickers will continue to enjoy the high quality electric service we have come to expect and rely on. Through enhanced agreements with our neighbours, certain reliability elements will be shared in a manner that increases system reliability while stabilizing costs to ratepayers.
Energy Action Plan Items linked to this Objective
To achieve this objective, New Brunswick will pursue the following Energy Action Plan items:
2. Electricity Market and New Brunswick System Operator
4. NB Power – Regulatory Oversight and Integrated Resource Plan
5. Regional Electricity Partnerships
6. Smart Grid Technology and Innovation
12. Electricity Efficiency Plan
13. Energy Efficiency Building Code Standards
14. Energy Efficient Appliances and Equipment
20. Energy Research and Development