Northwest Territories MP Michael McLeod announced an investment March 5 of more than $3.5 million in two Indigenous-owned Nihtat Corporation projects that are expected to cut energy costs and reduce fossil fuel consumption in the North.
The first investment of $3.3 million will allow Nihtat Corporation to combine solar power with battery storage to help three local businesses and 32 residential units in Inuvik and Iqaluit run almost exclusively on solar energy during the spring and summer months. The project should improve electricity reliability, create local employment and provide capacity from new reliable electricity, cutting local diesel consumption by 380,000 litres per year.
The second investment of $220,000 will enable Nihtat Corporation to undertake a capacity development study to look into options for wood pellet plant development, wood-based biomass opportunities and biomass supply chain enhancements in the Beaufort Delta region. The project will encourage the use of biomass as a healthy and economical choice for heating that will reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
The two projects together will add 1.25 megawatts of capacity and 1.5 megawatt-hours of battery storage. Both projects are being funded through Natural Resources Canada’s Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities (CERRC) Program. The goal of the program is to reduce the reliance of rural and remote communities on fossil fuel for heat and power, with particular emphasis on Indigenous communities.