Nova Scotia Power president and CEO Peter Gregg leaving role amid cyberattack fallout

Nova Scotia Power CEO Peter Gregg is leaving the position.

A new president and CEO is set to take the lead of the utility in charge of supplying power to most of Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia Power announced Tuesday the current president and CEO, Peter Gregg, will be leaving his role on March 1, calling the change a “leadership transition.”

Gregg, who has been the head of Nova Scotia Power since November 2020, will become the executive vice president of strategy and policy with Emera Inc, the parent company of Nova Scotia Power. He will lead corporate strategy, government relations, as well as corporate sustainability and environment.

“I want to thank the entire Nova Scotia Power team for their faith, focus, and dedication over these past years. I have so much confidence in their ability to continue to do the right thing for customers,” said Gregg in the announcement.

“I am excited about the new opportunities ahead and building on Emera’s strong strategic foundation to deliver future impact.”

Gregg will be replaced by Vivek Sood, who is currently a member of the utility’s board.

“I am proud to join Nova Scotia Power and build on all the great work that is happening across the company,” said Sood in the announcement.

“I’m excited to continue to deepen our can-do culture and be the best utility possible as we support the province, our stakeholders, and our communities where our 2,200 employees live and work.”

Sood has been a member of the Nova Scotia Power Board since June 2024. Before that, he spent over two decades as a senior leader with Sobeys and Empire Group of Companies.

“I am so pleased to welcome Vivek as our new President and CEO of Nova Scotia Power. His business acumen, depth of experience, and deep Nova Scotia roots are a strong asset as we focus on the next chapter, delivering for customers and strengthening relationships with stakeholders,” said Scott Balfour, board chair of NS Power in the announcement.

“Additionally, I am grateful to Peter for all he has accomplished at Nova Scotia Power in his tenure as President and CEO.”

Nova Scotia Power provides electricity to roughly 550,000 customers.

Premier’s response

Nova Scotia’s premier, Tim Houston, responded to the utility’s announcement Tuesday, saying he wishes “the new CEO more success than his predecessors.”

“I am concerned this announcement is less about real change and more about deflecting from a long-standing pattern of failure. Successive CEOs have been unable to deliver reliable, affordable power for Nova Scotians, all while collecting excessive amounts of personal data and then seemingly failing to adequately protect it,” said Houston.

When it comes to the power rate increase that Nova Scotia Power has requested, Houston says his position has not changed.

“The Energy Board should reject the requested power rate increase that they are currently considering,” he said.

“Time will tell whether this CEO is prepared to break that cycle—or whether Nova Scotia Power will continue to do what it has done for years: repeatedly ask households for more at a time when many are already struggling.”

Change comes after 2025 cyberattack

The “leadership transition” comes as the utility continues to restore its systems after a cyberattack in March 2025 saw the personal information of 280,000 customers accessed. Company officials have said the attack was likely by a Russia-based actor.

Many customers have complained their bills have spiked since the attack. Nova Scotia Power has said that, while its smart meters are still reading customers’ power usage correctly, that information isn’t being transmitted properly to its systems, and in some cases, it is estimating bills.

Houston has criticized the utility over the inflated bills and called on the energy board to launch an informal investigation into Nova Scotia Power’s billing practices.

Nova Scotia’s energy regulator has confirmed it’s planning a two-part inquiry into the cyberattack to examine the technical aspects of the breach and to look at how Nova Scotia Power collected and stored customer data and estimated bills.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has also launched an investigation.

Nova Scotia Power also faces a potential court battle with its customers after MacGillivray Injury and Insurance Law filed a proposed class action alleging data governance breakdowns, utility-wide responsiveness failures and inaccurate billing.

Meanwhile, the utility has proposed residential rate increases of about eight per cent by next year. If approved, the first 3.8 per cent increase would be effective retroactive to Jan. 1, and the second 4.1 per cent hike would come into effect Jan. 1, 2027.

With files from The Canadian Press

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