Foundation miscalculation: Why the Muskrat transmission line went so far over budget | CBC News
Evidence at the inquiry has revealed that Nalcor Energy completed a mostly “office-based” review of the geotechnical conditions upon which thousands of steel towers would be erected along the 1,100-kilometre route from Muskrat Falls in central Labrador to Soldiers Pond on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula.
The so-called desktop study relied on data from, among other things, aerial photos, with practically no “ground truthing,” such as digging test holes at tower sites.
It’s one of several reasons why cost overruns on the link project had reached $650 million by March 2018, with the line now mostly complete.