Nova
Scotia's consumer advocate has asked the Utility and Review Board to dismiss an
application for a reduced power rate for the Port Hawkesbury paper mill that
formerly belonged to NewPage.
The
rate would give Pacific West Commercial Corp. among the lowest power costs in
North America, if not the lowest. But the seven-year deal would also leave
consumers on the hook if the mill's owners, Pacific West and Nova Scotia Power,
have underestimated what it would cost to supply the mill with electricity.
An idled Cape Breton paper mill is three
steps closer to reopening after a Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge granted a
trio of orders Tuesday.
Justice John Murphy granted NewPage Port
Hawkesbury a stay of proceedings until Aug. 31, approved a creditors meeting on
the papermaker’s sale and granted a reorganization order.
While the three orders are a significant step
in the sales process, the successful reopening of the mill hinges on hearings
now before the provincial regulator.
