RIGS Energy Atlantic Project Update

The RIGS Energy Atlantic team recently hosted a virtual public information session (see video on our website) to share findings from the Water Supply Source Assessment and Human Health Risk Assessment, giving community members an opportunity to hear directly from our technical team and ask questions. Presentations were made on the two reports, and attendees were invited to directly ask them questions. A summary Q&A document from that session is now available on our website. 

Prior to the information session, 9,300 residents and businesses in the area surrounding the planned facility received a direct mail document via Canada Post providing details of the information session and the two studies. A PDF version of the mailout is available here. Notice of the session was also posted on the RIGS Energy Atlantic website. We would like to sincerely thank those who attended the session.  

On the design side, our engineering professionals have achieved a significant milestone: the facility has been designed to produce zero discharge from the site. This means that no process water will be released into the surrounding environment – a result that reflects our commitment to responsible project development.

As a reminder, our project website remains the best place to find the latest information.

How RIGS Energy Atlantic supports a more reliable grid

As New Brunswick adds more wind and solar to the province’s electricity mix, the grid needs a way to stay balanced. That's where RIGS Energy Atlantic plays a quiet but critical role.

Renewable energy sources can cause voltage and frequency to fluctuate – similar to traffic flow becoming uneven when many vehicles merge at once. Left unchecked, those fluctuations can damage equipment or trigger outages.

Each turbine at the RIGS facility is designed to operate as a synchronous condenser: a large spinning machine that stabilizes electricity flow without consuming fuel or water. Think of it as a gyroscope for the grid – its sheer rotating mass resists sudden changes, steadies voltage and keeps electricity flowing at the right rhythm.

The RIGS facility will operate in this stabilizing mode roughly 85% of the time.

RIGS Energy Atlantic is part of a broader network of synchronous condensers being developed across the Maritimes to support the region's growing renewable energy capacity. It’s infrastructure that most people will never see, but that everyone will benefit from.

Want to learn more about synchronous condensers? Check out Synchronous Condenser 101 – part of the Atlantica Centre for Energy’s Energy 101 Series. Questions? Reach us at info@rigsenergyatlantic.ca or visit www.rigsenergyatlantic.ca for FAQs.

The Longest Day – by Brian Francis

This month, we marked the summer solstice, the turning of another season. While it signals the end of spring, it also welcomes the beginning of summer, a reminder that life is never standing still. Just as the seasons change, so do we. Each new season offers us another opportunity to begin again, to renew our hopes and to walk a better path.

Since time immemorial, our people have looked to the sun with gratitude and respect. Through song, ceremony and prayer, we have honoured the life it brings. Its warmth reaches far beyond ourselves, nourishing the forests, the waters, the medicines and every living being that shares this Earth with us. It reminds us that we are all connected, each with a place and a responsibility within the great circle of life.

The solstice is also a teaching about balance. Although that day brings us the longest light, it reminds us that nothing remains the same. From this day forward, the seasons continue their journey, each one preparing the way for the next. In the same way, our own lives are meant to find balance, between taking and giving, speaking and listening, remembering and becoming. When we live in balance, we live in harmony with ourselves, with one another, and with all our relations.

Today, let us pause for a moment and give thanks for the light that continues to sustain us. Give thanks for the people who walk beside us. Give thanks for the Earth that has never stopped providing for us. And as another season begins, may we remember that every sunrise is another chance to live with humility, kindness and gratitude.

The sun has always shown us the way.

May we continue to walk in its light, in balance with all of creation.

Brian J. Francis is a celebrated Mi’kmaq filmmaker, writer and photographer whose work brings powerful visibility to Mi’kmaq culture and language. His art – and community leadership – reflect a lifelong commitment to sharing his people’s stories with honesty and heart. (Photo: Steve Smith.)

Photo: "Solstice" by Brian Francis

New Brunswick powwows 2026

In our ongoing discussions with Indigenous communities, we’ve been asked to help raise awareness of this summer’s powwows – important family-friendly cultural events for all ages that feature “drums, dance, regalia, food and crafts of Indigenous peoples and Nations across Turtle Island, the land otherwise known as North America.”

The Province of New Brunswick has released a detailed schedule of powwows from June to September. Along with the schedule, this link provides information on what powwows are, as well as tips and guidelines for attending.

We encourage everyone to attend at least one powwow this summer!

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.

We will be pausing this newsletter for July. The next issue will be in August. 

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.