Proponent: Nalcor Energy
Summary of Environmental Assessment Process:
Project Description:
The Project involves the construction and operation of an approximately 1,100 km long transmission line and associated infrastructure within and between Labrador and the Island portion of the Province. One option would see the High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) overhead transmission line commence at a converter station at Gull Island (one option) in central Labrador, proceed southeast across Labrador, cross the Strait of Belle Isle via submarine cables, and proceed across Newfoundland to end at a converter station at Soldiers Pond on the Island’s Avalon Peninsula. Another potential option would see the overhead transmission line commence at a converter station at or near the Muskrat Falls site in central Labrador. If that was the case, the Labrador transmission corridor would potentially extend from Muskrat Falls to the Trans Labrador Highway (Phase 3, TLH3) and then follow along TLH3 to its southernmost point, before picking up the previously identified corridor. On April 14, 2011 Nalcor Energy identified an alternative cable crossing option, in the Strait of Belle Isle. The additional option identifies Shoal Cove as a possible landing site on the Island portion of the Province. Shoal Cove is located several kilometres northeast of Mistaken Cove, which was one of the original proposed cable landing sites.The use of “shore electrodes” at locations along the Labrador shore of the Strait of Belle Isle area and Conception Bay South is proposed. The wood-pole transmission line connecting the Labrador converter station to the Strait of Belle Isle electrode will follow along the same route / right-of-way as the HVDC transmission line itself from the lower Churchill River to the submarine cable landing site at the Strait. From there it will follow the existing Labrador Straits highway and/or power lines northeast to the electrode site, which will be located at some point between the cable landing site and the Pinware area. Similarly, the wood-pole line from the Soldiers Pond converter station to the Conception Bay South shore electrode will generally follow along existing transmission lines and/or roadways in that region. The steel lattice transmission towers for the HVDC line will be approximately 43m in height and carry three wires (two conductors and a ground).
- February 2, 2009 – The undertaking was registered.
- March 9, 2009 – Public comments are due.
- March 19, 2009 – The Minister’s decision is due.
- March 23, 2009 – The Minister requires the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement.
- April 2, 2009 – Environmental assessment committee appointed.
- September 22, 2009 – An amendment to the registration document is received.
- November 29, 2010 – A change in Project description is received.
- February 7, 2011 – Draft EIS Guidelines.
- April 14, 2011 – Alternative Strait of Belle Isle Cable Crossing Option is received.
- May 3, 2011 – Final EIS Guidelines/Scoping Document approved.
- May 19, 2011 – Component Studies are received.
- July 5, 2011 – Component Studies are received.
- August 16, 2011 – Component Study received.
- September 6, 2011 – Component Study received.
- November 16, 2011 – Component Studies are received.
- December 8, 2011 – Component Studies require further work.
- December 8, 2011 – Component Study acceptable.
- January 17, 2012 – Component Studies require further work.
- February 8, 2012 – Component Study acceptable.
- April 5, 2012 – Component Study Acceptable.
- April 5, 2012 – Component Study requires further work.
- April 10, 2012 – Component Studies Additional Information Submitted.
- April 12, 2012 – Environmental Impact Statement Submitted.
- June 22, 2012 – Revised Component Study Acceptable
- July 6, 2012 – Component Study Acceptable.
- August 8, 2012 – Component Study Additional Information Submitted.
- November 2, 2012 – Component Study Acceptable.
- December 10, 2012 – Additional Information Submitted.
- February 19, 2013 Revised Component Studies Acceptable.
- February 26, 2013 – Component Study Acceptable.
- March 22, 2013 – Component Study Acceptable.
- May 31, 2013 – EIS and EIS Additional Information Accepted.
- June 21, 2013 – The Minister announced that the project is released.
- Documents:
- Registration (14.1 MB)
- Appendix A (125 KB)
- Appendix B(13.3 MB)
- Revised Registration (14.4 MB)
- Appendix B (11.2 MB)
- Change in Project Description (2.1 MB)
- Draft EIS Guidelines/Scoping Document (206 KB)
- Alternative Strait of Belle Isle Cable Crossing Option (1.2 MB)
- Final EIS Guidelines/Scoping Document (168 KB)
- Vegetation Component Study
- Cover and Introduction (204 KB)
- Ecological Land Classification
- Main Report (4.3 MB)
- Appendix A (89 MB)
- Appendix B, C, D (302 KB)
- Wetlands Inventory and Classification
- Main Report (7.7 MB)
- Appendices (20 MB)
- Regionally Uncommon Plant Potential Mapping
- Main Report (1.3 MB)
- Appendices (32.7 MB)
- Timber Resources (1 MB)
- Vegetation Supplementary Report
- Main Report (2.9 MB)
- Appendices (32.9 MB)
- Ecological Land Classification
- Cover and Introduction (204 KB)
- Freshwater Environment: Fish and Fish Habitat and Water Resources Component Study
- Main Report (6.9 MB)
- Appendix A (60.3 MB)
- Appendix B, C & D and Supplement (17.3 MB)
- Historic and Heritage Resources Component Study
- Main Report (16.7 MB)
- Appendix A to E (223 KB)
- Appendix F & Supplement (21.8 MB)
- Socioeconomic Environment: Communities, Land and Resource Use, Tourism and Recreation Component Study
- Cover and Introduction (209 KB)
- Main Report and Appendix A (58.5 MB)
- Appendix B (21.6 MB)
- Appendix C (8 MB)
- Supplement (13.9 MB)
- Analysis of Current Levels of Accessibility Along the Transmission Corridor
- Main Report (15 MB)
- Appendix (26.4 MB)
- Socioeconomic Environment: Marine Fisheries in the Strait of Belle Isle Component Study
- Main Report and Supplement A (12.7 MB)
- Supplement B (46.2 MB)
- Caribou and Other Large Mammals Component Study
- Introduction and Overview (212 KB)
- Caribou and their Predators (15 MB)
- Moose and Black Bear (7 MB)
- Furbearers and Small Mammals Component Study
- Main Report (17 MB)
- Supplementary Report #1 (4 MB)
- Supplementary Report #2 (14 MB)
- Marine Environment: Fish and Fish Habitat, Water Resources Component Study
- Introduction: Volume 1 of 2: Strait of Belle Isle (680 KB)
- Report 1: Marine Fish and Fish Habitat in the Strait of Belle Isle – Information Review and Compilation (48 MB)
- Report 2: Marine Flora, Fauna and Habitat Survey – Strait of Belle Isle Submarine Cable Crossing Corridors 2008 and 2009 (2 MB)
- Appendices A-E ( 9 MB)
- Appendices F- I (13 MB)
- Report 3: Marine Habitats in the Strait of Belle Isle – 2007 Geophysical (Sonar) Survey for the Cable Crossing Corridors (4 MB)
- Introduction Volume 2 of 2: Strait of Belle Isle and Electrode Sites (682 KB)
- Report 4: Submarine Cable Crossing Corridors Marine Water, Sediment and Benthic Surveys (4 MB)
- Report 5: Marine Water, Sediment, Benthos and Nearshore Habitat Surveys Potential Electrode Sites (12 MB)
- Marine Environment: Fish and Fish Habitat, Water Resources Component Study Errata and Addenda (277 KB)
- Marine Environment: Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles and Seabirds Component Study
- Avifauna Component Study (Revised) (8.5 MB)
- Socioeconomic Environment: Aboriginal Communities and Land Use Component Study
- Main Report (5 MB)
- Appendix A (6 MB)
- Viewscapes Component Study
- Marine Environment and Effects Modelling Component Study (15.4 MB)
- Species of Special Conservation Concern Component Study (5.9 MB)
- Vegetation Component Study (Addendum)
- Addendum (3.3 MB)
- Freshwater Environment: Water Resources, Fish and Fish Habitat Component Study (Addendum)
- Addendum (505 KB)
- Furbearers and Small Mammals Component Study (Errata)
- Caribou and Other Large Mammals Component Study (Revised)
- Introduction (576 KB)
- Moose and Black Bear Component Study (5.6 MB)
- Moose and Black Bear Supplementary Report (1.4 MB)
- Caribou and their Predators Component Study (14.5 MB)
- Marine Environment: Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles and Seabirds (Revised) (12 MB)
- Socioeconomic Environment: Communities, Land and Resource Use, Tourism and Recreation Component Study (Revised) (137 MB)
- Introduction (607 KB)
- Component Study Revised (58 MB)
- Supplementary Report (16 MB)
- Analysis of Current Levels of Accessibility along the Transmission Corridor (51.1 MB)
- Appendix B: Map Atlas: Select Land Uses (27 MB)
- Appendix C: Map Atlas: Forestry Access Roads (8.1 MB)
- Avifauna Component Study (Revised) (10.8 MB)
- Historic and Heritage Resources Component Study
- NCC Table of Concordance (307 KB)
- Innu Nation Table of Concordance (1.7 MB)
- Ekuanitshit Table of Concordance (274 KB)
- EIS Executive Summary (2.5 MB)
- Plain Language Summaries of the EIS
- English (6.3 MB)
- French (6.0 MB)
- Inuktitut (6.0 MB)
- Labrador Innu (6.2 MB)
- Naskapi (6.0 MB)
- Quebec Innu (7.0 MB)
- EIS Volume 1
- Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 (4.9 MB)
- Chapter 3 (9.6 MB)
- Chapter 3 Appendix 3-1 to 3-3 (5.0 MB)
- Chapters 4 to 9 (2.5 MB)
- EIS Volume 2A – Chapter 10
- Part 1 of 6 (9.1 MB)
- Part 2 of 6 (8.9 MB)
- Part 3 of 6 (8.7 MB)
- Part 4 of 6 (8.4 MB)
- Part 5 of 6 (8.8 MB)
- Part 6 of 6 (9.2 MB)
- EIS Volume 2B – Chapters 11, 12, 13 and 14 (9.7 MB)
- EIS Volume 3 – Chapters 15 to 17
- Section 15.1 to 15.4 (7.0 MB)
- Section 15.5 Part 1 (9.6 MB)
- Section 15.5 Part 2 (7.8 MB)
- Section 15.6 Part 1 (7.4 MB)
- Section 15.6 Part 2 (5.2 MB)
- Section 15.7 to 15.9 (5.2 MB)
- Chapters 16 and 17, and Key Subject Index (6.0 MB)
- EIS Volume 4: Supplementary Environmental Studies
- Aboriginal Communities and Land Use Component Study (Addendum)
- Addendum (6.1 MB)
- EIS Additional Information
- Environmental Protection Plans
- Project Wide EPP (3 MB)
- Strait of Belle Isle EPP (908 KB)
- Environmental Effects Monitoring Plans
- Avifauna EEMP (1.0 MB)
- Furbearers EEMP (688 KB)
- Vegetation EEMP (1.0 MB)
- Freshwater Fish EEMP (1.0 MB)
- Island Caribou EEMP (1.0 MB)
- Species at Risk IIMP (2.4 MB)
- Gender Equity and Diversity Program (6.3 MB)
- Registration (14.1 MB)
- Public Notices
- Project Registered (8 KB)
- EIS Required (11 KB)
- EA committee Appointed (30 KB)
- Registration Amendment Received (29 KB)
- Change in Project Description (26 KB)
- Draft EIS Guidelines (30 KB)
- Alternative Cable Crossing Option (28 KB)
- Final EIS Guidelines/Scoping Document (30 KB)
- Component Studies Received (30 KB)
- Component Studies Received (12 KB)
- Component Study Received (29 KB)
- Component Study Received (30 KB)
- Component Studies Received (37 KB)
- Component Studies require further work (36 KB)
- Component Study acceptable (36 KB)
- Component Studies require further work (42 KB)
- Component Study acceptable (48 KB)
- Component Study acceptable (29 KB)
- Component Study requires further work (29 KB)
- Component Studies Additional Information Submitted (17 KB)
- Environmental Impact Statement Submitted (36 KB)
- Revised Component Study Acceptable (68 KB)
- Component Study acceptable (29 KB)
- Component Study Additional Information Submitted (46 KB)
- Component Study Acceptable (37 KB)
- EIS Additional Information (37 KB)
- Revised Component Studies Acceptable (37 KB)
- Component Study Acceptable (25 KB)
- Component Study Acceptable (39 KB)
- EIS and EIS Additional Information Accepted (34 KB)
- Project Released (56 KB)
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