28 May 2026
Energy Democracy Now! Co-operative Disappointed by Approval of New Brunswick Fossil Fuel Plant.
For Immediate Release
Charlottetown, PE
As a partner organization of the Protect the Chignecto Isthmus Coalition, Energy Democracy Now! Co-operative is frustrated and disheartened with today’s decision from the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board (NBEUB) to approve a proposed 500 megawatt diesel and gas peaker plant.
The annual 900 000 tonnes of CO2 from this plant will compromise the health of Atlantic Canadians. The plant will divert 7 million litres of groundwater per day from local communities and farms, disrupt the environmental stability of the UNESCO Fundy Biosphere Reserve, and funnel hundreds of millions of dollars out of the Canadian economy to a private American corporation over the next 25 years. Discussions surrounding public health, groundwater, and environmental impacts of the project were absent from the oral decision.
It is difficult to understand why a regulatory body tasked with protecting the interests of Atlantic Canadians would approve a plant that puts the health of the environment and local residents at risk, while doing nothing to protect ratepayers from volatile fuel markets or to provide reliability that cannot be matched by sustainable, Canadian renewable alternatives.
In PEI, the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC) is faced with a similar proposal for a 100 megawatt combustion plant on the Charlottetown waterfront. IRAC has just released a report from its own energy experts, Synapse Energy Economics, urging IRAC to reject Maritime Electric’s diesel plant proposal in favour of battery energy storage instead, which they demonstrate can meet PEI’s peak electricity needs at a much lower cost while making better use of PEI’s local clean energy resources. Energy Democracy Now! Co-operative hopes that today’s decision in New Brunswick serves as a reminder of the importance of listening to experts and considering health, economic stability, environmental impact, and the best interests of Atlantic Canadians before approving hundreds of millions of dollars in capital asset purchases.
Energy Democracy Now! Co-operative Limited (EDN) is a community-based advocacy organization working to put Islanders in charge of their energy future. Founded and incorporated in 2023, EDN believes the climate crisis demands more than small fixes — it requires a bold shift from corporate control of fossil fuels to renewable energy that is owned, governed, and guided by local communities.
Brennan McDuffee, Community Organizer
Energy Democracy Now! Co-operative
902-916-5119
info@energydemocracy.ca
energydemocracy.ca