I didn’t question Muskrat Falls cost estimates, former premier tells inquiry
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — The premier who sanctioned the controversial Muskrat Falls hydro megaproject in Newfoundland and Labrador says she had no inkling how excessively over-budget it would become.
“If they had said, ‘This thing is going to be years late and it is going to cost billions of dollars more than the estimate,’ I can guarantee you, sir, there would be no Muskrat Falls with my name on it,” former premier Kathy Dunderdale told the inquiry into cost overruns Monday.
“There is no joy in having a failed project to your name.”
The 824-megawatt hydroelectric dam has essentially doubled in costs to more than $12.7 billion, and the inquiry has heard from dozens of witnesses, some of whom have suggested the risks had been intentionally downplayed.