ATLANTIC

Groundbreaking ceremony for Maritime Link subsea cable

THE CANADIAN PRESS Published Tuesday, November 25, 2014 10:42AM AST

Muskrat Falls, on the Churchill River in Labrador, is shown in a Februrary 2011 file photo. (Paul Daly / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

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BOTTOM BROOK, N.L. -- A groundbreaking ceremony will be held Wednesday in western Newfoundland for the Maritime Link project.

The 170-kilometre subsea cable will connect Newfoundland with Cape Breton as part of the $8.5-billion Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project in Labrador.

Natural Resources Minister Derrick Dalley and Nova Scotia Energy Minister Andrew Younger will attend the event in Bottom Brook, about an hour's drive west of Deer Lake.

Chris Huskilson, president and CEO of Emera (TSX:EMA), will also be in attendance.

The Nova Scotia utility is spending $1.5 billion on the link and has estimated it will create an average of 300 jobs per year during the construction period in both provinces, with peak activity in 2016.

Muskrat Falls is expected to start generating power in 2017.