Qulliq Energy charges up three new power plants

Qulliq Energy Corporation has the all clear to get started on new power plants in Qikiqtarjuaq and Taloyoak.

Lorne Kusugak, the minister responsible for QEC, issued the order to begin construction after receiving a thumbs-up from the Utility Rates Review Council.

The new plants will replace what are two of the oldest in Nunavut, QEC president Peter Mackey said in a news release.

“The power plants for Qikiqtarjuaq and Taloyoak are over 40 years old and considered to be in poor condition,” he said. “Power plants are typically designed for a 40-year lifespan.”

Last week QEC announced that Cape Dorset, home to another of Nunavut’s oldest diesel generating plants, would also get a new facility. The new Cape Dorset plant will be fitted to provide residual heat to local buildings, and could later be fitted with wind and hydrogen generators.

Only one new power plant, in Baker Lake, has been built since division in 1999.

Construction for all three plants should take two to three years.

Planned power outages are possible during construction, and QEC said it would notify communities of those outages before they happen.