Nunavut federal minister announces $6 million for Iqaluit hydroelectric project
Hydroelectric plant could serve the community for a century and replace the city’s diesel-generated electricity
Premier P.J. Akeeagok; Gary Anandasangeree, the federal minister of Northern Affairs; Olayuk Akesuk, president of Qikiqtani Inuit Association; Harry Flaherty, president and CEO of Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp.; and Iqaluit Mayor Solomon Awa pose for a photo after a funding announcement for the proposed hydroelectric plant in Iqaluit. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)
Nunavut will receive $6 million in federal funding for engineering and design work on the Iqaluit water power plant that’s being planned to replace all of the city’s diesel-generated electricity.
“By advancing local renewable energy solutions, we are helping to create good jobs, reduce emissions and strengthen energy independence for Iqaluit and the territory, ” Northern Affairs Minister Gary Anandasangaree said during an announcement Tuesday at the Aqsarniit hotel in Iqaluit.
A planned hydroelectric project with a 50-metre-high dam and a powerhouse is intended to replace diesel power for Iqaluit. (Photo courtesy of Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp.)
He spoke along with Premier P.J. Akeeagok, Qikiqtani Inuit Association president Olayuk Akesuk, Iqaluit Mayor Solomon Awa and Harry Flaherty, president and CEO of Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp., the company that wants to build the hydroelectricity generator.
The new funding builds on the $7 million in federal money provided in 2021 and will help with gathering data, navigating regulatory processes, public engagements, engineering and design, Anandasangaree said.
The hydroelectric project could be operational by 2033. It would include an approximately 50-metre-high dam and a powerhouse built along the Kuugaluk River, about 60 kilometres northeast of Iqaluit, the project plan says.
Iqaluit’s move from diesel to hydroelectricity is led by Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp., an Inuit-owned subsidiary of Qikiqtaaluk Corp., the business arm of QIA. The company started work on the hydroelectric plant in 2022.
Qulliq Energy Corp. initiated the project, but in 2014 put it on hold due to a lack of funding.
“Our commitment is to be there long-term,” Anandasangaree said, adding it’s “premature” to say how the future financing of the project might look.
The total cost of the project is yet to be determined, Flaherty said.
In 2017, Johnny Mike, who was then Nunavut’s minister responsible for QEC, told the legislative assembly the project would cost “well over $300 million, even approaching $500 million.”
“We are at a very primary stage,” Flaherty said Tuesday, adding there are still several environmental studies to be conducted that will take a few years to complete.
A proposed hydroelectricity project with a 50-metre-high dam and a powerhouse could be built along the Kuugaluk River, about 60 kilometres northeast of Iqaluit. (Photo courtesy of Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp.)
“Then we will have a better assessment how that project will move ahead or not,” he said.
Hydroelectric power generation uses moving water to turn turbines, which spin to produce electricity.
The plant will work year-round and is anticipated to generate 15 megawatts of electricity a year. Iqaluit currently requires 10 to 11 megawatts, provided by generators that use 15 million litres of diesel fuel per year.
If successful, the hydroelectric plant would provide power for at least 100 years and sustain all of Iqaluit’s electricity needs, which account for 19 per cent of Nunavut’s entire demand.
Nukkiksautiit hasn’t yet determined how the plant will connect to QEC’s electricity grid. After it is built, the diesel power plant would remain in place as a backup energy source for the city, the project plan says.
In addition to providing electricity to the community, the hydroelectric plant might also allow homes to switch to electric heating from oil heaters or provide increased power for industrial demands, such as a potential new mine near Iqaluit.
Nukkiksautiit is still assessing which would be more beneficial to residents.
Located in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada, Nunatsiaq News is dedicated to covering affairs in Nunavut and the Nunavik territory of Quebec since 1973. It has been a partner to ArcticToday and its predecessors since 2016.