For immediate release – 19 March 2026:
An independent technical review by energy consulting firm Energy Futures Group, commissioned by the Ecology Action Centre and Climate Action Network Canada, raises significant concerns about proposals by Maritime Electric to purchase two refurbished aeroderivative combustion turbines from ProEnergy Services to service the Prince Edward Island electrical grid.
The report finds that the proposal to purchase 100 MW of refurbished PE6000 turbines in Charlottetown—alongside NB Power’s 500 MW sister project in New Brunswick—carries technical, financial, and contractual risks that warrant closer scrutiny.
It concludes with 20 questions that regulators and policymakers should be asking about the proposal, for which answers are not readily available in public filings.
“It’s clear that policymakers should be asking serious questions about the proposed turbine purchase—and taking a serious look at the alternatives,” said Ami Gagné, Regional Coordinator at Climate Action Network Canada.
“It’s concerning that these turbines have an unproven cold-climate track record, when the rationale for the purchase is to address winter energy reliability concerns. Buying these turbines without due diligence would not only lock in new carbon pollution for decades to come, but leave P.E.I. ratepayers on the hook for a risky $334 million investment.”
Topline findings of the review include:
- Use of refurbished aircraft engines introduce lifecycle risks tied to prior use, refurbishment quality, and service agreements.
- Lack of servicing agreements and performance guarantees beyond a one-year warranty period in concerning.
- Unproven cold-climate track record: most of ProEnergy Services’ turbines are installed in warm climates such as Texas.
- Significant upfront financial exposure: non-refundable payments requested by ProEnergy before final regulatory approval can be passed on to ratepayers, even if the project is denied.
- Diesel operation requires major on-site fuel storage and may accelerate component wear.
- Based on ProEnergy’s filings to New Brunswick regulators, the two proposed PEI turbines could require 1,750 m³ of fresh water per day while in peak operation—approximately 10 per cent of Charlottetown’s average daily water consumption.
- Alternatives not fully evaluated: battery energy storage systems and other grid-forming technologies can provide frequency response and voltage support, but filings do not transparently compare these non-emitting alternatives against the turbine proposal.
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