The Muskrat Falls hydro megaproject, a massive dam and powerhouse harnessing the lower Churchill River near Happy Valley-Goose Bay in Labrador, is not even yet complete. But a public inquiry begins Monday on how its cost has already doubled to more than $12.7-billion — with the bill handed to a province of just 530,000 people, or fewer than the city of Brampton, Ont. The independent inquiry led by provincial Supreme Court Justice Richard LeBlanc will examine how the Labrador project was approved and executed, and why it was exempt from oversight from the Public Utilities Board. Piecing together the story of where the Muskrat Falls project went wrong is a sizable task, and the probe’s conclusions won’t be available any time soon. The first phase of hearings, opening in Happy Valley-Goose Bay before moving to St. John’s next month, is focused on the project’s sanctioning and the involvement of the Public Utilities Board.

Source: thestar September 16, 2018 15:00 UTC