By Eli Ridder New Brunswick’s provincially owned energy corporation made a series of poor choices with its planned natural gas power plant that exposed taxpayers to millions of dollars worth of risk, the public auditor says. The utility entered into a long-term agreement without regulatory approval and selected equipment without studying alternatives, among other missteps, auditor general Paul Martin said in his report released Tuesday. While the need for a new natural gas plant is valid, Martin told lawmakers, NB Power “did not proceed in the clearest or most disciplined order, increasing governance, financial and regulatory risk for New Brunswick power and energy customers.” The Renewable Integration and Grid Security project is a 500-Megawatt natural gas power plant proposed for rural southeastern New Brunswick. It received approval from the provincial…
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