Brad Coady told Tantramar council the Centre Village site poses fewest challenges for a proposed generation facility<\/p>\n
Published Dec 18, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 4\u00a0days ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 4 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n A senior NB Power executive acknowledged Wednesday night \u201cthere\u2019s likely going to be an impact\u201d on well water in the Sackville region if a proposed natural gas power plant goes ahead.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the e-Edition, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalism and the next generation of journalists.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the e-Edition, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalism and the next generation of journalists.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to keep reading.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite journalists.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authors<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t drill a well and expect to say it\u2019s not going to be an impact,\u201d said Brad Coady, the utility\u2019s vice-president of business development and strategic partnerships, at a crowded, two-hour special meeting of Tantramar council.<\/p>\n Last week council voted in favour of a motion that, in part, declared opposition to the construction of a 500-megawatt generating station in Centre Village. The province and NB Power have said the facility is needed to meet electricity demand, which Coady previously told the legislature is at risk by 2028<\/a>.<\/p>\n In an op-ed piece<\/a>, the president of proponent ProEnergy, John MacIsaac, further argued the gas-fired plant is necessary to provide grid stability as the province adds more renewable power. Adding wind power alone, he wrote, \u201cmakes the grid more fragile.\u201d<\/p>\n Morning Email Telegraph-Journal<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Yet there has been local backlash to the gas plant from residents and environmentalists over various concerns, including threats to endangered species, carbon emissions, pollution, and water contamination.<\/p>\n Coady said it was up to ProEnergy to mitigate impacts to groundwater, telling council the company has been recently drilling to test water resources at the site and will have to put forward a plan as part of the environmental impact assessment currently underway.<\/p>\n Even if the project clears the assessment, it will still have to be approved by the province\u2019s Energy and Utilities Board. Hearings are scheduled in Moncton from Feb. 9 to 13.<\/p>\n Water impacts were only one of the topics lobbed at Coady Wednesday night, with Mayor Andrew Black having to remind residents to leave their signs out of council chambers and refrain from disruptions during the presentation.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cIt is safe to say the views of the people in the room are collectively the views of council,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Coady said of the process: \u201cIt\u2019s regrettable that it causes angst. It can be emotionally and politically charged.\u201d<\/p>\n He echoed comments by Premier Susan Holt last week, who told reporters the province was trying, but so far had failed<\/a>, to find an alternate workable site for the plant.<\/p>\n Coady said NB Power scoured the province looking for a suitable location and pointed out that Scoudouc had been considered as a site for the facility, but about a year ago officials began to realize there were problems with that site.<\/p>\n![\"Brad](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1218-tt-gas-plant.jpg\")
Brad Coady, NB Power’s vice-president of business development and strategic partnerships, told Tantramar council at a presentation on Wednesday there was no ideal site for a proposed 500 megawatt gas-powered plant, but Centre Village posed the fewest challenges. Photo by Sarah Seeley\/Brunswick NewsArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Telegraph-Journal\"](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.2.3\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-tj.svg\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n![\"opening](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1695845024791-TJ_-_V2.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n