COVID-19 and software delays on the Labrador-Island Link means a further delay in final completion of the Muskrat Falls project and additional costs.
Nalcor CEO Stan Marshall provided an update today on the project and the impact of COVID-19 on cost and schedule.
Work on the synchronous condensers on the Labrador-Island Link is expected to be completed by August of 2021, with work on the bi-pole software operations completed by September of next year.
(Muskrat Falls generating station under construction. File photo courtesy Nalcor.)
Full power has now been pushed back from November of this year to September 30, 2021. The commissioning certificate won’t be issued until after a stress test is conducted, but that matter is now under discussion since it has the potential to delay things further.
Back in May, Nalcor was expecting an additional cost of $150- to $200-million, largely due to COVID-19, but that’s been knocked in half to $75-million.
With the delay in final completion, payments are now due on the bonds issued to finance the project of approximately $360-million—which Nalcor says will now need to be funded.
