Province Moves on Setting New Electricity Market Rules

PETROLEUM DIRECTORATE--Province Moves on Setting New Electricity Market Rules

The provincial government is moving ahead with its energy strategy by setting up an advisory committee on new electricity market rules.

The Electricity Marketplace Governance Committee will be chaired by Dalhousie University oceanography professor Robert Fournier. Mr. Fournier also chaired the public roundtable discussions on the energy strategy.

The Nova Scotia Energy Strategy will begin to introduce competition in a staged and measured process beginning with electricity sales to the province's six municipal utilities. The strategy will also see competition for construction of new electricity generation facilities. It also calls for the development of renewable energy by independent power producers by permitting access to Nova Scotia Power's electrical transmission system and to markets. The electricity marketplace governance committee will make recommendations on the implementation, development, structure and rules to achieve the near-term energy strategy objectives.

All members of the committee were nominated by stakeholder groups. The committee members and the groups they represent are as follows:

• Christopher Huskilson, Nova Scotia Power
• Fred Hussey, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association
• Nickolas Murray, Consumers Association of Canada
• Don Regan, Nova Scotia Municipal Electric Utilities Cooperative
• John Woods, Electricity Consumer Alliance of Nova Scotia
• Erik Towig, Renewable Energy Industry Association of Nova Scotia
• Todd Holman, Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Implementation of the Nova Scotia Energy Strategy will be the responsibility of the province's new Department of Energy. In the meantime, energy strategy development and implementation remains the responsibility of the Department of Natural Resources and the Petroleum Directorate.