Regulatory Initiatives

• April 17, 2024:  Notice of Paper Hearing - CI C0053316 – Transmission Customer Performance Regulations Compliance Project – Michelin Waterville Dynamic Voltage Restorer (M11656)
• March 28, 2024: Notice of Paper Hearing - Smart Grid Nova Scotia Project Final Report (M11624)
• March 13, 2024: Notice of Paper Hearing - CI C0041506 – LM6000 191-253 Major Engine Refurbishment ATO (MM11598)

January 25, 2024

Following a recent Order in Council from the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables on December 21, 2023, NS Power has filed with the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (NSUARB) the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Project Capital Cost Approval Application.

With this filing, we are seeking approval from the NSUARB for the capital costs required to engineer, procure, construct, commission, and place into service three 50 MW, 4-hour grid-scale battery facilities.

Grid-scale battery storage, such as the BESS Project, will play an integral role and is one of the key investments in Nova Scotia’s clean energy transition. They also provide system benefits to support continued reliability for customers. These benefits include: 

• The opportunity to introduce and enable more renewable energy, including more than 1,000 MW of wind to be added to the grid through the province’s wind procurement process
• Fast response to unplanned grid disturbances
• Safe, reliable, and clean energy during peak demand

Additional application documents:

1. Hearing Order
2. Notice of Paper Hearing

January 4, 2024

As agreed in our General Rate Application Settlement Agreement with customer representatives and as approved by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (NSUARB), Nova Scotia Power has initiated the process of undertaking a new Cost of Service Study (COSS).

What is a Cost of Service Study?

A COSS is a process used by a utility to look at the costs incurred by the utility to provide service to customers and divide those costs among customer groups to develop rates.

We have different rates for residential, commercial, and industrial customers. This means a different rate per kilowatt hour of electricity. A full list is available here.

The COSS will analyze the costs to provide service for each of our customer groups. The results will be used to allocate costs among customer groups and to develop future rates.

More information is available here.

Why are you applying for a Cost of Service Study?

A COSS is important to ensure the equitable allocation of costs and how they’re distributed among customer groups. By comparing the cost to provide service—including maintaining and operating the grid and updating infrastructure—with revenues, we can make informed and equitable rate recommendations.

Our last COSS proceeding was completed in 2013–2014 and much has changed since then, including the development of the competitive market, continued electrification, and the clean energy transition, which includes significant integration of renewable energy, the addition of gas-fired generation, the need to phase out coal-fired generation, and the use of grid-scale batteries. Our COSS was most recently reviewed in our last rate application, and we are now working to update our COSS.

As part of this process, we are providing the opportunity for stakeholder engagement. More information is available here.