PUB submits Muskrat Falls report to province

The Public Utilities Board review of the Muskrat Falls hydro project is now in the hands of the provincial government.

The government said in a press release it received the report Friday night.

The deadline was March 31.

Government officials will review the report over the weekend. It could be released to the public as early as Monday.

Reached by CBC News Friday morning, PUB chairman Andy Wells had two words: "No comment."

The PUB had previously complained it was not getting the time it needed to review the $6.2-billion megaproject.

The PC government extended the deadline for the report once, but rejected a request for a second extension.

In January, Wells said Nalcor Energy — the Crown-owned corporation that is leading the development — was not co-operating with the review.

"It's been a torturous process," Wells said at the time.

Nalcor said those comments were unfair.

Time pressures led the PUB to scrap a province-wide series of public hearings. They were instead limited to St. John's.

In November 2010, Nalcor reached a deal with Halifax-based Emera Inc. that would see power from Muskrat Falls piped via subsea cable to Newfoundland and on then to Nova Scotia.