Latest news with #NovaScotiaEnergyBoard
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Nova Scotia Power granted extension to provide information on cybersecurity breach
Nova Scotia Power, which was originally ordered to provide a litany of information on the cybersecurity breach no later than Aug. 15, now has until early September to file the report. The Nova Scotia Energy Board, which is conducting a full investigation into the cyberattack last March, ordered the power utility to submit a detailed report on the incident, along with monthly updates, this year. On July 24, it also asked Nova Scotia Power to provide answers to a list of questions, including: when was the breach detected? how many current and former customers were impacted? what is the communication policy for a cyberattack? which customer services were affected by the breach? if a customer requested it, could the utility provide details about their specific compromised personal information? On Aug. 14, a day before Nova Scotia Power was scheduled to submit answers to these questions, the utility requested an extension to Sept. 5. 'Given that NS Power's investigation into the incident is ongoing and work in relation to the cybersecurity matter continues, additional time is required in the circumstances to enable NS Power to address the IRs (information requests) appropriately,' a letter from the utility reads. The Energy Board granted the extension request, but noted it would appreciate if Nova Scotia Power could provide responses prior to Sept. 5. 'These information requests seek information frequently requested by NS Power's customers in their letters and emails to the Board expressing concerns, frustrations, and complaints about the compromise and misuse of their personal information, the risks relating to the release of their personal information, and difficulties encountered in communications with the credit monitoring service engaged by NS Power,' a letter from Energy Board reads. 'The Board intended that NS Power's responses to these questions would be available to customers who may be seeking answers to the questions that many of them are asking.' The Energy Board had previously ordered the utility to file its monthly updates starting Aug. 1, but Nova Scotia Power requested an extension on that as well. History of cyberattack Nova Scotia Power detected 'unusual activity' on its network on April 25, but later learned the breach actually happened on or around March 19. It informed the public about the 'sophisticated ransomware attack' on May 23. The utility previously said up to 280,000 customers were affected by the attack, which possibly compromised names, phone numbers, email addresses, social insurance numbers and mailing addresses. Nova Scotia Power is offering five years of free credit monitoring to all current and former customers. It also said it would delete all social insurance numbers of customers from its files. Along with the Energy Board, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner is also investigating the cyberattack. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
16-06-2025
- Automotive
- CTV News
Nova Scotia adjusting price of diesel oil
The Nova Scotia Energy Board is invoking its 'interrupter' mechanism to adjust the price of diesel oil in the province at midnight. The interrupter mechanism allows the board to respond to 'sudden significant spikes, up or down, in petroleum product prices,' according to their website. The mechanism lets them interrupt the regularly scheduled weekly setting of prices and change the current price. The board says its adjusting the price of all grades of diesel oil due to a shift in the market price of the product. The board did not say by how much the price will be adjusted. The current minimum price for diesel in Zone 1 (Halifax and Hants counties) is 140.6 cents per litre. The price of gasoline will not be impacted by this adjustment. The board last used the interrupter mechanism in April, lowing the cost of diesel by 11.6 cents. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CBC
15-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Energy minister seeks answers from Nova Scotia Power amid cybersecurity breach
Nova Scotia's energy minister is seeking answers from Nova Scotia Power and the province's energy regulator is planning its own investigation into a cybersecurity breach at the utility that resulted in customer information being accessed and taken. In a letter to Nova Scotia Power president and CEO Peter Gregg dated May 7, Trevor Boudreau said he wants to know what immediate actions are being taken to support people awaiting service. He also wants a guarantee customers won't face late penalties or disconnections until the issues are resolved. "This incident has raised significant alarm over the protection of customer data, reliability of electricity services and infrastructure," Boudreau's letter read in part. "I am particularly troubled by the disruption this breach has caused to essential services, including delays in power hook-ups and service connections for residents and businesses. These delays are not only inconvenient but also represent risks to health, safety and economic stability, particularly for vulnerable individuals and small businesses that rely on uninterrupted electricity." The Nova Scotia Energy Board, formerly known as the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board, announced Thursday it will launch an investigation. "The Nova Scotia Energy Board has opened a formal proceeding to investigate the Nova Scotia Power cybersecurity incident. We are currently in discussions with cybersecurity experts to engage them in the matter," the board said in a statement on its website. While the board said it recognizes the company is "focused on recovery and mitigation efforts," its process "is not intended to interfere with that critical work," the statement said. "Our role is to ensure regulatory oversight and accountability while allowing the utility to concentrate on restoring systems and supporting impacted customers. We take this matter very seriously and are committed to a thorough and transparent process," the board said. The scope of the board's investigation is still being defined. Some of the things that could be covered include a review of the cause of the incident, Nova Scotia Power's reporting to authorities and its response to the incident, and the impact of the incident on ratepayers and to the utility and its data. In an update Wednesday, Nova Scotia Power said it has begun to notify customers whose data was compromised. The customer information that could have been taken by an "unauthorized third party" may have included addresses, phone numbers, birthdates, driver's licence and social insurance numbers, and banking information, the utility said. Nova Scotia Power said it is working with cybersecurity experts to determine the extent of the breach and to safely restore and rebuild systems that were compromised. It also arranged to have TransUnion provide affected individuals with a free two-year subscription to a credit monitoring service. To get the situation under control, Nova Scotia Power has paused billing and shut down its online customer portal MyAccount. No services have been disrupted as a result of the incident, the company said, and late fees have been paused.
CBC
09-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Regulator says N.S. Power cannot demand security from would-be competitor
In a dispute between Nova Scotia Power and an emerging renewable energy company, the provincial energy regulator has sided with the little guy. The Nova Scotia Energy Board says it will not order Renewall Energy to provide a letter of credit — a document from a financial institution guaranteeing payment — which Nova Scotia Power requested. Renewall has a licence to sell wind energy directly to consumers using Nova Scotia Power's grid, although it has not begun producing any electricity yet. It's part of a program set up a decade ago by the provincial government and meant to break up Nova Scotia Power's monopoly and increase renewable energy use. Renewall is so far the only participant in the program, called Renewable to Retail. Upfront costs estimated at $6.4M Nova Scotia Power is supposed to recover costs for tying new energy providers to the grid through tariffs, but last year the utility said the upfront costs were proving too much. It asked Renewall for a letter of credit to ensure it would be able to recover some of the estimated $6.4 million it anticipates spending. Renewall refused, so the utility took the issue to the regulator, which issued a decision on the matter this week. In a letter to Nova Scotia Power, the board said requiring a letter of credit could discourage participation in the program. It said it could force small renewable energy companies to put cash into financial institutions who provide letters of credit. "That would tie up capital and impact a proponent's business case," the board said. "On the other hand, the implementation costs to date, although significant, do not have the same impact on NS Power's financial situation." Part of Nova Scotia Power's argument for the letter of credit was that it was worried Renewable to Retail would never come to fruition, and it would never get to recover the money it put in. Renewall has twice blown past deadlines to start making use of its licence. The most recent deadline was Dec. 31, 2024. The board granted an extension to the licence to Dec. 31, 2026. It told Nova Scotia Power that it believes the company "has a realistic prospect" of making good on its plans. The company did not immediately respond to CBC's request for comment. Its website says it expects to start producing wind energy from its Mersey River project south of Milton, N.S., in 2026. Costs could fall to ratepayers However, should Renewall fail to launch and no other players enter the program, Nova Scotia Power could look to recoup costs another way. The board said the utility "is not precluded" from recovering the money it puts into implementing Renewable to Retail from its own ratepayers. Should it come to that, a mechanism would be developed through the usual rate-setting process that happens before the board. The board said recovery would be contingent on the costs being "prudently incurred."
