Project’s LIL software still not up to spec
Letter suggests date for Labrador-island-link sanctioning pushed to summer, at least
Nagging software bugs have once again pushed back a planned completion and sanctioning date for the Muskrat Falls project’s Labradorisland-link (LIL), likely until sometime in the summer.
A letter filed with the province’s Public Utilities Board (PUB) last week by Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro stated that factory acceptance testing of the latest version of bipole software completed in April uncovered unresolved issues.
“While a number of punchlist items were confirmed to be resolved, a few items still require resolution,” the letter states. “GE (General Electric Canada) are currently working to resolve these outstanding items which will then require additional testing before the software can be released to site for commissioning.
“GE has not provided a detailed schedule but are working to release the next version of software in the second quarter of 2022. As previously noted, the next software release will be used for dynamic commissioning and trial operations.
“Given the delay in completion of (factory acceptance testing), GE’S trial operations complete milestone has slipped to the third quarter of 2022.”
The LIL is a 1,100-kilometre high-voltage DC transmission line (900 megawatts) running from the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric generating station in Labrador to Soldier’s Pond on the northeast Avalon Peninsula.
The Muskrat Falls generating station and its land transmission lines are complete — the remaining component to full sanction of the Muskrat Falls project is to get the LIL up to full and confident operating capacity. That task has been hampered by bugs in the software needed to operate the system.
In March, a Liberty Consulting Group report on the Muskrat Falls project contained a scathing review of the progress of the LIL software problems, and suggested a completion date for the LIL to operate at full commercial capacity is still not in sight.
“There is no basis for projecting a reasonably confined date range for LIL commercial operation at full capability as designed,” the report stated. “That date may well come as far as 12 months or so from now, and perhaps significantly longer.”
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro has stated in the past it is not willing to compromise on the software, pushing to ensure the right product will be installed to the system.