Auditor general pledges to look at Nalcor

Auditor General Terry Paddon says his staff will take a look a Nalcor Energy, a review which could possibly include the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project.

Speaking to reporters following the release of audits on Thursday, Paddon said his office will perform an audit of the crown corporation with a view of having it completed by the spring.

But it's not quite clear what the auditor general will be looking for.

"We will go in with as broad a thought process as possible, and sort of look at a wide range of areas," he said Thursday. "You could look at procurement, you could look at compensation, you could look at business processes, those sorts of things."

"Once you get there and you get a better idea of how they operate...what are some of the issues that you see, we'll start to narrow it down to something that's manageable and can be done." 

Paddon says he's written to Nalcor CEO Stan Marshall and his staff, and is hoping to have the scope of his review ironed out in the next few weeks.

Muskrat Falls

Paddon says the review could include the controversial, beleaguered Muskrat Falls megaproject —  even if he calls it "a pretty big elephant to try to chew on."

He says his staff could take a look at what elements of the project they could "reasonably handle."

But he wants to make sure he's not replicating some other external reviews of the project, such as the EY report.

"To the extent that we can look at something different, I think we would do that." 

Paddon says his email account has been flooded, thanks to independent MHA Paul Lane, who has been pushing for an audit of Nalcor.

• Maverick MHA Paul Lane wants auditor general unleashed on Nalcor

Lane, who sat in as Paddon spoke to reports, broke out into applause after Paddon said he'd look at the crown corporation.