Maritime Link benefit deal signed /Agreement should help local companies take advantage of massive undersea project THE CHRONICLE HERALD Emera Inc. has signed a deal with the Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador governments aimed at helping companies in the two provinces land work on the Maritime Link project. The industrial and employment benefits deal was signed Wednesday in Newfoundland, where a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the $1.5-billion Maritime Link. The 170-kilometre subsea cable between Newfoundland and Cape Breton is part of the $8.5-billion Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project in Labrador. “Companies from across this region will have access, Emera CEO Chris Huskilson told reporters via conference call from Bottom Brook, N.L. “Even if there are contracts let to other companies, then there will be subcontracting opportunities. Bottom Brook will be the site of the link’s Newfoundland converter station, with a similar facility slated to be built at Woodbine, in Cape Breton. The benefits plan was part of an interprovincial agreement on Muskrat Falls signed in late 2011. The deal signed Wednesday gives companies in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland first crack at cable contracts. The deal also includes funding for specialized training and university scholarships to help workers get the skills they need to land link-related jobs. Energy Minister Andrew Younger said details of education programs, which will primarily be funded by Emera, are to be announced in the new year. One component will be a scholarship program at Cape Breton University, he said. The agreement also includes a diversity plan intended to create jobs for women, visible minorities and First Nations. Huskilson said Emera hopes to soon finalize a socio-economic agreement with Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq. A similar deal with the Qalipu band in Newfoundland was finalized last month. That agreement includes economic development opportunities, as well as environmental monitoring that was pledged during a federal environmental assessment. The cable project, headed by Emera subsidiary Emera Newfoundland & Labrador, is projected to create an average of 300 jobs per year between the two provinces during construction. Employment is expected to peak at 600 jobs in 2016. About 200 people are now working on the link in the two provinces. Nova Scotia and Newfoundland companies have been awarded more than $100 million in link contracts to date. Huskilson said about half of that work so far has gone to Nova Scotia firms. Twelve Nova Scotia companies are now working on the cable project, which is still in its early stages. The contracts include surveying, tree clearing and environmental studies. Companies from across this region will have access.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 13:05:06 +0000
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