Province Proposes Massive Increase to Nova Scotia Power Fines
HALIFAX — The provincial government plans to dramatically raise the fines it can charge to Nova Scotia Power.
The new rules would increase the amount the province can charge in so-called “administrative penalties” from $1 million to $25 million in a calendar year.
The fines are used to hold the utility accountable for power outages and other performance-related issues. The specific penalty amounts can be laid out in regulations or determined by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board.
The government introduced the proposed changes on March 22 in amendments to the Public Utilities Act.
The rules say Nova Scotia Power must pay any fines from its profits and “shall not recover any administrative penalty imposed on it under this Section through its rates.”
That means ratepayers will not foot the cost of any penalties. The province also says some of the proceeds from any fines will be put into a fund that compensates customers “most affected by [power] outages.”
It hasn’t yet released details about the new fund, or how it will be managed.
From 2017 to 2021, Nova Scotians saw an average of five-and-a-half outrages a year. More than half of those were caused by storms.
The new fines will only come into effect once the bill snakes its way through the province’s full legislative process.