Nova Scotia Power employees works on a power line on Peggys Cove Road. Photo by Submitted by Nova Scotia PowerArticle contentOne day after a favourable ruling by the Nova Scotia Energy Board, members of Nova Scotia Power’s reliability team said more needs to be done to meet the company’s five-year reliability plan.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentOn Thursday, the board decided not to fine the utility for failure to meet six of 32 performance targets. In the ruling, the board found three of the targets, despite not being met, had improved from 2024 to 2025.Article contentArticle contentArticle content“When I see the response from the board, I’m looking at there’s a lot more work in front of us,” said Charlene MacMullin, senior manager of reliability, engagement and standards for Nova Scotia Power.Article contentMacMullin said Nova Scotia Power is still in Year 2 of the five-year, $1.3-billion reliability plan but is showing encouraging results.Article content“We’re just starting to finish Year 2,” she said. “The goal here again is for customers to be able to see at the end of this work that they are seeing improvements.”Article contentMacMullin and Keith O’Callaghan, senior manager of reliability with Nova Scotia Power, held a media briefing Friday at its Halifax headquarters to discuss the plan.Article contentThe goal is to reduce the length of power outages by 20 per cent by 2029. The main areas of focus are modernizing the grid, strengthening the system to better withstand extreme weather and increase work on vegetation management.Article contentThe 2025 results are encouraging, said MacMullin. Data showed tree-related outages were down 19 per cent, equipment failures dropped by 14 per cent and the utility had the lowest number of outages since 2012.Article contentArticle content“We know that we’re targeting the right work,” said MacMullin. “We saw in 2025 the lowest number of outages customers experienced since 2012. So we met our performance standards for frequency, and we’re continuing to see further reductions from that value.”Article content Charlene MacMullin and Keith O’Callaghan offered an update on Nova Scotia Power’s five-year, $1.3-billion reliability plan at NSP headquarters in downtown Halifax on Friday. Photo by George MyrerArticle contentSmart technology reduced outage hours by 60 per centArticle contentPilot projects with smart technology resulted in a 60 per cent reduction in customer outage hours, according to the utility. This technology includes increased communication to devices, providing real-time information about system issues that allows for faster identification and resolution of problems, leading to fewer outages and interruptions.Article content“Grid-modernizing smart technology is increased communication to devices. So you’re installing protective devices on the power system that can talk to you, and so it can give you real-time information in terms of ‘I see an issue here,’” said MacMullin.Article content“In the past, we would need to get in the truck and drive to see where the issue is, and sometimes we relied on customer comments to tell us something.
Nova Scotia Power says revitalization plan showing improvements but more work needed to meet 5-year reliability goals
