QIA considers ‘next steps’ after NIRB recommends hydro plant move forward without review
Nunavut’s review board made its recommendation on Nov. 4
The Nunavut Impact Review Board recommends that the Iqaluit Nukkiksautiit Hydro Project, the site for which is seen here along the Kuugaaluk River, move forward without a review. (File photo courtesy of Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp.)
The Qikiqtani Inuit Association is “considering its next steps” after the Nunavut Impact Review Board recommended that Iqaluit’s proposed hydro project move forward without a public review.
“Our priority remains ensuring that the development of new energy infrastructure advances alongside the protection of Inuit rights,” reads a statement from QIA spokesperson Markoosie Qaunirq, issued Tuesday.
The $500-million Iqaluit Nukkiksautiit Hydro Project, currently in its preliminary design phase, is proposed by Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp., a subsidiary of Qikiqtaaluk Corp., which is the QIA’s development arm.
If approved, it will lead to the construction of a hydroelectric plant able to produce up to 30 megawatts on the Kuugaaluk River, about 60 kilometres northeast of the city. It will also include a 7,136-hectare reservoir and a 66-kilometre access road.
NNC president Harry Flaherty has said the plant could replace 15 million litres of diesel fuel imported every year to generate electricity.
In November 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney named it a “nation-building” project to fast-track approvals. That move meant construction could begin in 2028 — two years earlier than originally anticipated.
On Nov. 4, the Nunavut Impact Review Board published its screening decision report, which determined a review of the proposal was unnecessary, and notified Minister of Arctic and Northern Affairs Rebecca Chartrand, who has the final say, of its decision. The board examines the social and economic impact of proposed developments and advises the federal government on whether the minister should allow the project to proceed.
The board’s reasoning was that potential adverse effects can be addressed through terms and conditions and that the project does not “involve technological innovations for which the effects are unknown,” according to the screening report.
But QIA had argued that the effectiveness of mitigation efforts was uncertain, particularly for fish habitat, wildlife movement, permafrost conditions and harvesting.
Chartrand has 150 days to respond.
In the meantime, the Inuit association is planning its own community engagement events in Iqaluit and Pangnirtung, the release said.
Qaunirq did not respond to a request for comment, nor did the review board.
Wild that QIA is looking for random reasons to try and derail this project. What a joke.
Imagine thinking that a project of this magnitude doesn’t require fulsome consultation with the affected communities and a public review.
And it’s basically their own project via Qikiqtaaluk Corporation.
Im so envious. I wish for this near my community. Imagine the possibilities with that much available power.