Latest news with #NovaScotiaPower
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Energy board orders report from Nova Scotia Power about cyberattack ahead of public inquiry
The Nova Scotia Energy Board is ordering Nova Scotia Power to submit a detailed report on the recent cyberattack that compromised the personal information of hundreds of thousands of customers by the end of the year. The energy board says the utility will also file monthly updates on its response to the cyberattack until the report is complete. The first update is due by Aug. 1. 'Once the report is filed, the Board will launch a public process to review both the report and NS Power's planning for and response to the incident,' a news release from the energy board says. 'The Board continues to work with MNP Digital, which is independently assessing the cybersecurity incident on behalf of Board Counsel and staff. NS Power has provided a high-level briefing about the incident to MNP, Board Counsel, and staff.' In an open letter to Nova Scotia Power, the energy board laid out the requirements of the report, which include: an account of how the utility discovered the breach a description of the 'attack vector' a timeline of the events identification of compromised data and systems specific details regarding the type and amount of exposed personal information evidence indicating the presence of the breach, such as suspicious files or unusual network traffic a description of how the breach happened identification of any vulnerabilities or security gaps that were exploited assessment of the financial, operational and reputational damage to Nova Scotia Power evaluation of potential harm to past and present customers and employees steps the utility took to mitigate and contain the breach, as well as steps taken to eliminate the threat a review of the utility's policies and practices for collecting, retaining and using personal information recommendations to enhance security measures and improve communications 'While the Board appreciates that it will not be possible to publicly disclose certain information for security reasons and to mitigate impacts relating to personal and confidential information that was stolen, it is important that the Board's inquiry be conducted publicly and as transparently as possible,' the letter reads. 'Special considerations and procedures may be required when sensitive information is involved. 'The Board has received numerous letters and emails from NS Power's customers 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.' Timeline of cyberattack Nova Scotia Power told the public it was the 'victim of a sophisticated ransomware attack' on May 23, but the actual incident happened months prior. The utility detected 'unusual activity' on its network on April 25 and initiated its response plan. The utility later confirmed the breach happened on or around March 19. Nova Scotia Power previously said 280,000 customers were impacted by the incident, which potentially compromised personal information like names, phone numbers, social insurance numbers, email addresses and mailing addresses. Due to the cyberattack, the utility is offering five years of free credit monitoring to all former and current customers. It also said it will be deleting all social insurance numbers of customers from its files. Along with the energy board, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner is also investigating the incident. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CBC
4 days ago
- Business
- CBC
What's going on with Nova Scotia Power's billing
Nova Scotia Power is sending workers out to manually check power meters at homes to ensure accurate billing, as some customers complain of receiving higher than expected bills. It's the latest development since a ransomware attack breached the company's computer systems on March 19 and brought some of its systems to a halt. More than half of the utility's customers in Nova Scotia — about 280,000 — were informed by letter that their personal information may have been compromised. "The meters on customers' homes have continued to accurately record energy use throughout the cyber incident, but they're unable to send the information back to our billing systems right now," Chris Lanteigne, Nova Scotia Power's director of customer care, told CBC's Information Morning Nova Scotia in an interview that aired Monday. Lanteigne said meters that previously could send power usage data directly to Nova Scotia Power haven't been able to do that since the breach. He said he expects meter readers will be out collecting data "over the next couple of months." He said bills that have been sent out over the last month were based on estimates of "seasonal usage from the previous year." 'We want to help' "When we are reading the meter, that will actually show the information that's on the meter to generate the bill," Lanteigne said. He said customers should call Nova Scotia Power directly if they're concerned about a bill. "We want to help them understand what has transpired on their bill and we're happy to talk it through with them and find a solution," he said. Billing was paused on April 25 — when the breach was discovered — and only resumed in early June. Now, some customers are receiving two bills within a relatively short period of time. "Over the course of the last five weeks or so, we've been catching up on billing," Lanteigne said. "So when customers are receiving a bill, a good way to think about it is the first one is catching up and then the time between that bill and the next bill will be shorter." He said the utility is not currently charging late fees on outstanding balances. Customer with solar panels gets 'significantly higher' bill Robyn Brown, a Nova Scotia Power customer in Dartmouth, has had solar panels on her home since September 2022. She said her bill is usually around $40 every two months — the cost of the meter fee, since the panels generate more electricity than she uses. Her latest bill was around $162, more than four times higher than normal. "It's not a lot of money compared to other people, but it was significantly higher," Brown said. People with solar panels get data about their power generation during a billing period. Brown said she noticed the latest bill didn't include that information. She called the company for answers and said she was told they weren't able to track her solar production. "I was like, 'How did you come up with this number?" … and basically [the customer service representative] didn't know where they generated this estimate from because it didn't make sense with any of my previous data. [She] said it could have been data from as far back as 2022 before I got solar." Brown said she was told she could pay the higher amount, which would eventually be reflected on her account as a credit, or she could wait. She said she paid the amount for the meter fee. Energy board calls for report "My concern is the fact that they don't seem to have an accurate read on how much solar producers are producing and I'm worried. What's my recourse if they come back with the next adjusted bill next month and there's no solar on there? Like what are they going to do then?" Brown said. The Nova Scotia Energy Board, formerly known as the Utility and Review Board, opened a proceeding into Nova Scotia Power's cybersecurity breach. It will require a report from the company — which is doing its own investigation — about the incident. The report to the energy board must include: An incident description. Details on affected systems and data, indicators of compromise (how the company knew a breach happened). A root-cause analysis (how the breach happened, plus vulnerabilities and security gaps). Impact analysis. Response and recovery actions. Details on collection and retention of personal data. Recommendations. "While the board appreciates that it will not be possible to publicly disclose certain information for security reasons and to mitigate impacts relating to personal and confidential information that was stolen, it is important that the board's inquiry be conducted publicly and as transparently as possible," a news release from the board said Monday. Once the report is filed, the board will establish a public process to review it and Nova Scotia Power's planning for and response to the event that happened. The board wants Nova Scotia Power to file the report by the end of the year, though that deadline could change.
Global News
11-07-2025
- Business
- Global News
Ottawa providing $16 million for Maritimes electricity distribution, solar projects
See more sharing options Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook Ottawa has announced details of $16 million it's providing for energy projects in the Maritimes. Federal Energy Minister Tim Hodgson said Friday the funds will go toward improvements to the electricity grid, carbon capture technologies and the expansion of wind and solar power projects. Funding for upgrades to the distribution grids includes $6 million for Nova Scotia Power, $5.3 million for Saint John Energy Inc. in New Brunswick, and $2 million for Maritime Electric in Prince Edward Island. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy There is also $875,000 for smart metering systems used in conjunction with municipally owned renewable energy production and $704,089 to Dalhousie University for the creation of a 'regulatory road map' for offshore carbon storage. The announcement includes about $1 million for a solar project owned by Millbrook First Nation, located near Truro, N.S., and to be operated at the site of a decommissioned oil refinery in Dartmouth, N.S. Story continues below advertisement This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 11, 2025.
CTV News
11-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Ottawa providing $16 million for Maritimes electricity distribution, solar projects
Power lines are seen in Dartmouth, N.S. on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan HALIFAX — Ottawa has announced details of $16 million it's providing for energy projects in the Maritimes. Federal Energy Minister Tim Hodgson said Friday the funds will go toward improvements to the electricity grid, carbon capture technologies and the expansion of wind and solar power projects. Funding for upgrades to the distribution grids includes $6 million for Nova Scotia Power, $5.3 million for Saint John Energy Inc. in New Brunswick, and $2 million for Maritime Electric in Prince Edward Island. There is also $875,000 for smart metering systems used in conjunction with municipally owned renewable energy production and $704,089 to Dalhousie University for the creation of a 'regulatory road map' for offshore carbon storage. The announcement includes about $1 million for a solar project owned by Millbrook First Nation, located near Truro, N.S., and to be operated at the site of a decommissioned oil refinery in Dartmouth, N.S. --- This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 11, 2025.
CTV News
11-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Federal government spending nearly $16M on clean energy projects in Maritimes
The federal government is spending nearly $16 million on renewable energy, carbon capture and grid modernization projects across the Maritimes. The money will be spread across six projects in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, according to a news release from the federal government. Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson announced the influx of cash on Friday. Hodgson, who was in Charlottetown this week to discuss possible initiatives and federal partnerships, told CTV News Atlantic's Todd Battis major projects have taken on an added significance amid the ongoing trade war with the United States. 'We can't control what our friends south of the border do,' Hodgson said. 'Projects of national interest will buttress the country against external instability.' Nova Scotia projects The most expensive single project on the list is the Advanced Distribution Grid Management by Nova Scotia Power. It will cost $6 million and help modernize the utility's electricity network. Millbrook First Nation near Truro will receive $1,011,880 to repurpose vacant tank lots from Imperial Oil to develop a solar farm. Alternative Resource Energy Authority in Antigonish will receive $875,000 to use advanced metering infrastructure for 'intelligent grid management,' which is expected to reduce costs for roughly 3,500 customers. Dalhousie University will get $704,089 to build a policies and regulations roadmap to support a framework for offshore carbon storage. New Brunswick, P.E.I. projects Saint John Energy will take $5,250,000 to modernize electricity distribution in the Port City. The project is anticipated to improve service reliability for approximately 36,000 customers. The Maritime Electric Company will use $2 million to demonstrate the integration of smart-grid technology in the public cellular network in Charlottetown. 'In P.E.I., and in our region, we are all working hard to reduce emissions, make life more affordable for residents and increase the reliability of our energy systems,' said Gilles Arsenault, minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Action in P.E.I. 'We need to modernize our electricity distribution system to enhance efficiency and resiliency. This investment in Maritime Electric's grid modernization is a welcome next step in a more reliable and efficient electrical system in our province.'
