Project update

Regulatory evaluation of the Renewables Integration Grid Security (RIGS) Energy Atlantic project is ongoing through two separate processes:

• Work related to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project has been underway since July 2025 and continues to move forward under the oversight of the New Brunswick Department of Environment and Local Government.
• We continue to make steady progress on the water source assessment for the project. We will be returning to the project site in early March to conduct additional testing, which we expect to continue through the end of March. Based on our ongoing water use analysis, we are expecting to use less than one-third of the water volume referenced in our EIA – a significant reduction that reflects our commitment to responsible water stewardship. A report will be submitted to the New Brunswick Department of Environment and Local Government once work at the site is complete.
• A New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) hearing into NB Power’s agreement to purchase 400 megawatts of capacity and electricity from the RIGS Energy Atlantic project took place earlier this month. The matter is now with the EUB for deliberation and decision. 

You asked

Water use

Water use by the proposed RIGS Energy Atlantic facility continues to be a topic of interest. We’re providing answers to some recent questions here.

When is water used?

RIGS Energy Atlantic is an electrical grid support facility with two modes of operation. Its primary mandate is to reliably enable increased use of renewable energy, supporting the use of more clean energy by balancing grid stability when wind and solar generation fluctuate.

• The facility operates in grid support mode, without using water, more than 85% of the time based on current projected dispatch planning from NB Power. When it is operating in grid support mode, no water is consumed, no fuel is used and no emissions are produced.
• Water is consumed only when the facility is dispatched in generating mode, currently projected at 7% annually. When operating in this mode, the facility will provide essential backup during peak demand and reduce reliance on imported energy sources.
• The remaining 8% of the time, the facility will be on standby. This means, essentially, it will not be operating.

When water is required, site operators will draw first from on-site storage tanks. These treated water storage tanks act as a hydraulic buffer to mitigate draw-down on the aquifer.

Why is water needed?

Three-quarters of the water used by the RIGS Energy Atlantic facility is for emissions control. 

• Combustion turbines like those being used as part of this project typically exhaust nitrogen oxides (NOx) of 25 ppm (parts per million). This meets the New Brunswick provincial standard and is normal for a facility like this. 
• PROENERGY is including advanced downstream control technology that will reduce NOx emitted by the turbines to 2.5 ppm. 
• The company is voluntarily choosing to incur the cost to include this additional emissions control equipment. This exceeds what is required by federal and provincial regulations. 
• The RIGS Energy Atlantic facility will enable NB Power to reduce its overall greenhouse gas emissions by 250,000 tonnes in the facility’s first year of operation – the equivalent of 106 million litres of gasoline not used or 125 million kilograms of coal not burned. These reductions are based on NB Power calculations supported by increased system flexibility related to how NB Power dispatches generating units within its generation fleet. The RIGS facility will enable NB Power to bring on smaller increments of fast-acting generation, instead of starting up much larger base load units that can take days to bring online. 

The remaining water used by the facility is for power augmentation. Water is injected into the turbines to maintain power output during weather-related temperature variations.

We welcome all questions and comments. You can contact us at info@rigsenergyatlantic.ca. There are also many answers to frequently asked questions on our website: www.rigsenergyatlantic.ca.

Who is MTI and what is the Mi’gmaq Rights Impact Assessment process?

Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn (MTI) is a non-profit organization whose members are the nine Mi’gmaq communities in New Brunswick:

• Amlamgog (Fort Folly) First Nation
• Natoaganeg (Eel Ground) First Nation
• Elsipogtog First Nation (Big Cove)
• Oinpegitjoig (Pabineau) First Nation
• Esgenoôpetitj (Burnt Church) First Nation
• Tjipõgtõtjg (Buctouche) First Nation
• L’nui Menikuk (Indian Island) First Nation
• Ugpi’ganjig (Eel River Bar) First Nation
• Metepenagiag (Red Bank) Mi’kmaq Nation

MTI has developed the MRIA (Mi’gmaq Rights Impact Assessment) Framework, with the objective to ensure Mi’gmaq Rights are protected, and to provide the next seven generations with healthy lands, waters and resources in order to maintain their culture and their Mi’gmaq way of life.  

According to MTI: “When Proponents are considering activities in New Brunswick, such as resource development projects, the proposed activity will be required to undergo a MRIA. To achieve the objective of this MRIA Framework, all proposed projects and expansions of existing projects will be subject to the Mi’gmaq-led process and methodology.”

PROENERGY is actively participating in the MRIA process as part of the company’s efforts to build trust and enduring relations with New Brunswick Mi’gmaq communities, with the goal of moving forward side-by-side in a spirit of co-development.

Economic opportunities

In upcoming newsletters, we’ll highlight some of the employment and contract opportunities that will be available with the facility during construction and ongoing operations.

We sincerely thank the trade unions and the more than 200 trade union members who reached out to show their support for this project. We look forward to creating economic opportunities for New Brunswickers and Atlantic Canadians during the project’s construction and operation phases.

The RIGS Energy Atlantic project is led and staffed by a team of Atlantic Canadians with relevant skills and experience in the utilities space, and we are committed to working with New Brunswick Mi'gmaq First Nations Rightsholders and New Brunswick skilled trades.

Why does New Brunswick need RIGS Energy Atlantic?

The need for the RIGS Energy Atlantic project was the topic of another recent opinion item in a New Brunswick media outlet.

Michelle Robichaud, President, Atlantica Centre for Energy

Brunswick News published an opinion item by Michelle Robichaud, President, Atlantica Centre for Energy, entitled “The Cost of Fear.”

Excerpt: “Fear can be a powerful motivator. It protects us from real danger, sharpens our judgment, and forces important questions into the open. In the case of recent opposition to energy projects in Atlantic Canada, fear is being used to crowd out evidence, ignore cost implications and force one-sided reports on trade-offs. The results of which can lead to expensive outcomes. 

Instead of fear paralyzing us, we need to have honest conversations and informed debate around New Brunswick’s proposed Tantramar gas generating station and the complimentary generation capacity project proposed on Prince Edward Island. 

Public discussion has focused almost entirely on the negatives of the facilities: a fossil-fuel asset, a potential source of emissions, and a project some see as incompatible with environmental values. What has been largely missing in public discourse is a serious conversation about what the real alternatives are and what happens if we don’t build it or if we delay decisions."

To read the complete article, click here (PDF version).

About this newsletter

This newsletter is focused on informing and updating the community about the proposed RIGS (Renewables Integration Grid Security) Energy Atlantic project. You've been included on our distribution list because you're considered a member of the community or a stakeholder who may be interested in learning more about the project and staying informed on its progress. You may have provided your email and checked "yes" to receiving project updates when signing in at a project open house in August. Should you no longer wish to receive these updates, please click “Unsubscribe” at the bottom of this newsletter and you will be removed from the list. To view this newsletter in your browser, please click on "View in browser" at the top of this newsletter.

We look forward to sharing more about RIGS Energy Atlantic – an important energy infrastructure project that will benefit New Brunswick for years to come. Be sure to visit our website at www.rigsenergyatlantic.ca for answers to many of your questions. If there's a question you'd like to see covered in our FAQ section, please email us at info@rigsenergyatlantic.ca and we'll consider it for addition to the website.

Let's connect

We're committed to ongoing dialogue with members of the community. We're happy to provide more information about our plans and how the RIGS Energy Atlantic Project facility will benefit New Brunswick and the Maritimes. Please contact us via email at info@rigsenergyatlantic.ca and we'll connect with you.

About PROENERGY Global Solutions Canada and RIGS Energy Atlantic

The RIGS Energy Atlantic project is staffed by a team of Atlantic Canadians with relevant skills and experience in the utilities space, and we are committed to working with New Brunswick Mi'gmaq First Nations Rightsholders and New Brunswick skilled trades. The project is being developed by PROENERGY Global Solutions Canada, a provider of proven grid-support technology important for renewable energy operations and expansion. With the flexibility to balance the grid without fuel (85% of the time in New Brunswick) and to provide backup power when needed (7% of the time in New Brunswick), the company ensures grid stability when it matters most.