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New Brunswick’s Electric Reliability Framework

A product of the Energy Mines Ministers’ Conference

New Brunswick’s Fast Facts (2014-15)
Installed Capacity 4,251 MW
Annual Generation 14,393 GWh
Annual Consumption 13,648 GWh
Customers ~ 398,000
Annual Exports 2,517 GWh
Annual Imports 2,537 GWh
Transmission System length (≥ 69 kV) ~ 6,849 km
Interconnections with Quebec, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New England, Northern Maine

Installed Capacity Mix (2014)Footnote 1

Text version of Pie Chart

Pie Chart showing New Brunswick’s installed capacity mix (2014): coal/heavy oil 34%, hydro 22%, nuclear 16%, diesel 12%, natural gas 9%, wind 6.9%, and other less than 2%

Key Organizations

New Brunswick Department of Energy and Mines is responsible for setting the policy and legislative framework for New Brunswick’s electricity system. The Department administers the Electricity Act and Reliability Standards Regulation which establishes the authority and requirements for the adoption and enforcement of electric reliability standards in New Brunswick.

The New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) is a crown agency established to regulate the electricity, natural gas, pipeline, motor carrier industries, and set maximum gasoline prices for the province.

The New Brunswick Power Corporation (NB Power) is a Crown corporation and the province’s vertically integrated electric utility. In addition to its responsibility to comply with reliability standards applicable to its functions, NB Power is also responsible under the Electricity Act to make filings to the EUB to update reliability standards, maintain a list of bulk power system elements and to make recommendations on compliance registrations.  In addition to NB Power, there are three municipal distribution utilities:

The New Brunswick Energy Marketing Corporation is the Crown corporation responsible for the purchase and sale of power across with neighbouring jurisdictions.

Electric Reliability Framework in New Brunswick

New Brunswick is connected to the North American Bulk Electric System (BES) through interconnections in New England, as well as HVDC connections with Quebec.  Electric reliability is maintained through Reliability Standards adoption, compliance monitoring, and enforcement by the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board (EUB).

Compliance with bulk power system reliability standards is mandatory in NB under the Electricity Act.  The New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) is responsible under the Act to adopt and enforce reliability standards and to implement the Reliability Standards Regulation, which sets out specific requirements for the adoption of reliability standards, compliance registry and compliance monitoring and enforcement processes.

The EUB establishes and maintains a NB Compliance Registry that identifies those owners, operators and users of the NB bulk power system that must comply with adopted reliability standards.  Criteria used to determine a registration in NB is generally based on the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) registration criteria. An entity that has been notified of its requirement to register may appeal to the EUB for further consideration. The NB Compliance Registry is posted on the EUB website.

The EUB implements a compliance monitoring program to assess registered entity compliance with adopted standards. Monitoring methods include entity self-certification, self-reporting, data submittals, audits, investigations, spot checks and complaints. The Compliance Monitoring and Reporting System (CMRS) is used to facilitate electronic reporting by entities.

A NB Annual Implementation Plan for compliance monitoring is developed and posted by the EUB each year prior to January 1 of the reporting year.  The NB Annual Implementation Plan identifies the reliability standards that will be monitored, the monitoring method to be used, and entity audit and reporting schedules.

As provided for in the Electricity Act, the EUB engages the Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC) as a recognized compliance body to assist with the implementation of the compliance monitoring program in NB.

The EUB initiates enforcement action if there is reason to believe that a violation of a reliability standard has occurred. EUB enforcement requires that the entity take action to remove the risk the violation poses to the reliability of the bulk power system and to implement a plan that will prevent a future occurrence of the violation.  Registered entities are subject to financial penalties and sanctions for violations of adopted reliability standards.

For additional information related to how electric reliability standards are reviewed, adopted, monitored, and enforced in New Brunswick, please go to the New Brunswick Provincial Summary which is currently available on the NERC website: Provincial Summaries

See the top of the page for other provinces or territories.

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