P.E.I.’s electricity supply not keeping up with population growth, says utility [Video]

Maritime Electric, P.E.I.’s main electricity utility, told a standing committee Thursday that population growth is outpacing its capacity to keep up with supply.

The utility’s CEO told a standing committee Thursday that it’s serving more customers than ever — reaching a new threshold of 90,000 this year — but population growth is outpacing its ability to provide electricity.

“I am concerned,” said Jason Roberts, the president and CEO of Maritime Electric. “We need to start thinking about how we’re using energy and when we’re using energy.”

The utility told MLAs on the committee that the 2023 polar vortex was a “canary in the coal mine,” because it highlighted the extent to which extreme weather events can test the limits of P.E.I.’s energy system.

If the Island were to experience extended periods of similar cold weather in the future, Roberts said, “it could be a challenge” for the utility.

He said “the cold dark days of winter” will mean a rush of increased …