Nunavut power utility starts repairs in Grise Fiord, Pangnirtung

An inside view of a house in Pangnirtung that lost part of its roof in a fierce wind that swept across the community Jan. 12. (PHOTO BY DAVID KILABUK)

(Updated, Jan. 14, 6:25 a.m.)

Power is slowly returning to two Nunavut communities blasted by this past week’s winds of more than 100 kilometres an hour.

Qulliq Energy Corp. workers landed Jan. 13 in Nunavut’s most northerly community, Grise Fiord, where they are beginning to repair damage caused by high winds that crippled the local power grid.

Later that day, the QEC confirmed power had been restored to about 60 — then 80 — per cent of the community of 150.

Then, early Jan. 14 the QEC said that power had been restored to the entire community “except for the airport plus another customer, at approximately 11:30 p.m.” Jan. 13.

Getting to Grise Fiord, where residents had gathered in the local school for light and warmth, presented a challenge.

First, the QEC “positioned our line maintenance crew on a charter aircraft in Pond Inlet” on Jan. 12, the QEC’s manager of operations and management, Andy Burns, told Nunatsiaq News Jan. 13.

“They were able to land in Grise Fiord just before 11 a.m. this morning. They did an assessment of the damages and commenced repair,”

Gale force winds of more than 100 km/hr had brought down power lines and blown the roof off at least one home in Grise Fiord Jan. 12.

Loose debris, as well as fragments from damaged houses, contributed to downed power lines, Burns said.

The QEC said the damage to Grise Fiord’s power distribution was confined to the power lines — and that the central electrical hub for the community had been unaffected.

As of Jan. 14, QEC maintenance crews were still waiting in Iqaluit for weather to clear in Pangnirtung, where at least 15 to 20 customers remain without power.

The QEC said early Jan. 14 that low ceiling/clouds, not high winds, had prevented an earlier charter flight from landing in Pang. “Will make another attempt at 8 am,” the QEC said on Twitter.

The power problems in Pangnirtung started after winds damaged several houses in the community of about 1,500 people on Jan. 12.

Fluctuations in the grid caused more widespread blackouts overnight.

Extra crews were brought into Iqaluit from the QEC regional hubs in Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay to deal with the emergency, Burns said.

According to Environment Canada forecasts, the high winds in Pangnirtung and Grise Fiord are expected to die down by Jan. 14.

Grise Fiord should see clear skies through to next week with average daytime highs in the mid -20s C, while Pangnirtung will enjoy a mild weekend with daytime highs above -10 C as warm air from the south is expected to move across east Baffin Island.