Newfoundland and Labrador appoints team to broker final energy deal with Quebec

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Newfoundland and Labrador’s government has appointed a team for the next round of negotiations with Hydro-Québec, as the provinces’ public utilities work to hammer out a sweeping energy deal.

The team is composed of Jennifer Williams, head of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro; Denis Mahoney, deputy minister of justice and public safety; and Karl Smith, a longtime energy and finance executive.

They are the same three people who negotiated the first draft of the energy deal, under which Hydro-Québec has tentatively agreed to pay about 30 times more for power from the Churchill Falls plant in Labrador.

The agreement in principle ends a 1969 contract that gave Hydro-Québec the majority of Churchill Falls power for rock-bottom prices, leaving many in Newfoundland and Labrador bitter and distrusting of the utility.

The next round of negotiations will be overseen by a three-person team of experts, led by Newfoundland and Labrador’s consumer advocate, which was appointed after opposition parties called for an independent review of the tentative agreement.

The utilities hope to sign a final deal in 2026.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2025.

The Canadian Press