Former premier testifies about moments of ‘stress’ after Muskrat Falls sanction
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — The former premier who sanctioned Newfoundland and Labrador’s controversial Muskrat Falls hydroelectric megaproject says she would have dropped the project if she thought it would compromise the public’s trust in her government.
“Nobody was married to Muskrat Falls,” Kathy Dunderdale told the inquiry looking into cost and schedule overruns that have plagued a project she once championed. “It wasn’t Muskrat Falls no matter what, or no matter what circumstances.”
The cost of the 824-megawatt dam has essentially doubled to more than $12.7 billion since Dunderdale’s government signed off on it in December 2012.
On Tuesday, the former premier testified that she contemplated having to pull the plug on the project — even though such a move could have ended her political career.