Nova Scotia Power to Use Helicopter to Complete Canso Straight Tower Construction

November 2, 2017

Nova Scotia Power is in the final construction phase of six new transmission towers located across the Canso Strait, which will improve service reliability by providing an important back-up power source between Cape Breton and the mainland.

Tower construction has been underway at Aulds Cove since February, with site clearing, tower footings and base tower construction now complete. The next phase of tower construction requires a helicopter to deliver the top section of each of the 530 foot towers – the tallest transmission towers in Nova Scotia – to the site to enable final assembly.

Brief traffic stops will be required on the Trans-Canada Highway at Aulds Cove to ensure safe navigation of the helicopter carrying the tower components, as per federal regulations. Traffic control will be onsite to manage these brief traffic stops, which are expected to take place a few times daily for a minute or two at a time, over the next two weeks.

As a result, motorists are advised to be prepared for minor traffic delays in the Aulds Cove area and to proceed safely through the area while this work is underway. Nova Scotia Power appreciates your patience as we complete work on this important reliability project.

The new Canso Transmission Towers will also support the addition of renewable energy from Newfoundland and Labrador through the Maritime Link, which will assist Nova Scotia Power in achieving a requirement to generate electricity from 40 per cent renewable energy in 2020. In 2016, 28 per cent of Nova Scotia’s electricity came from renewable sources, including eight per cent from hydro and tidal generation.