Regulatory hearings on New Brunswick Energy’s proposed Tantramar gasoline and diesel plant superior Thursday when the primary skilled witness opposing the venture testified earlier than the Vitality and Utilities Board.
Professional Advocates Renewables Over Fossil Fuels
Toby Couture, a specialist in batteries and renewable power employed by the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, offered proof favoring renewables supported by battery storage to fulfill energy capability calls for. This strategy, he argues, outperforms the utility’s proposed gas-and-diesel facility.
Try and Disqualify Witness Fails
Earlier than Couture testified from his house in Germany, New Brunswick Energy lawyer John Furey sought to disqualify him and his proof throughout an hour-long problem. Furey cited Couture’s 2007 co-authored paper with New Brunswick Inexperienced Occasion Chief David Coon, which linked world local weather objectives to power shifts and urged decreased reliance on fossil fuels.
Couture declined to completely endorse these almost two-decade-old views however referenced an announcement from former Saudi Arabian oil minister Sheikh Zaki Yamani: “The Stone Age did not finish as a result of we ran out of stones.”
“It ended as a result of we developed higher methods of doing issues,” Couture added. “Technological change drives the market ahead, and we’re within the midst of a technological revolution.”
Furey alleged Couture selectively used knowledge in his 35-page submission, rendering it non-objective and partisan. He highlighted supposed inconsistencies and omissions.
Conservation Council lawyer Kostantina Northrup countered that no deliberate proof manipulation occurred. She famous latest situations of errors in different testimonies, arguing such points affect proof weight, not admissibility.
The board sided with Northrup, admitting Couture’s proof for evaluate.
Debate Facilities on Battery Capability Elements
Throughout cross-examination, Couture contested New Brunswick Energy’s declare {that a} 1,000-megawatt battery is required for 400 megawatts of dependable capability. He known as this a miscalculation of batteries’ “efficient load carrying capability,” or reliable output.
Battery methods don’t contribute their full rated dimension to capability calculations. New Brunswick Energy applies a 40 % capability issue, requiring a 1,000-megawatt battery for 400 megawatts.
Couture counters that the issue begins at 80 % for preliminary installations, declining with scale. With minimal current utility-scale batteries, he estimates the primary 500 megawatts ship 400 megawatts of efficient capability.
Vitality and Utilities Board Chair Christopher Stewart and member Kenneth McCullough pressed Couture for particulars on this key discrepancy.
Cross-examinations of remaining skilled witnesses, together with these from the general public intervener, conclude Friday. Ultimate arguments observe at a date to be set.
