Ottawa announces $19M for Kivalliq clean energy projects
Funding will go toward projects that increase renewable energy while reducing dependence on diesel
Federal Northern Affairs Minister Dann Vandal announced more than $19 million to support clean energy projects in Rankin Inlet, Baker Lake and Naujaat. (File photo)
More than $19 million will be spent on three Indigenous-led clean energy projects in the Kivalliq region, the federal government announced Monday.
The projects are aimed at reducing the use of “costly and polluting diesel for electricity and heating” in the North while supporting economic development, according to a news release from Indigenous Services Canada.
The projects are “crucial to tackling climate change and growing a clean energy economy in the North,” Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal said in the release.
The bulk of the government’s funding, $18.5 million, will go toward constructing a solar and battery energy storage facility in Naujaat. When finished, the one-megawatt facility will supply 30 per cent of the community’s demand for energy with locally produced renewable energy.
Construction is expected to start this summer, the release said. Currently, Naujaat relies solely on burning diesel fuel to generate electricity.
Approximately $1.3 million will be directed toward Baker Lake and Rankin Inlet wind energy development projects for research and development, to reduce those communities’ reliance on diesel.
As part of that, traditional Inuit knowledge will be incorporated into wildlife studies related to generating wind energy.
And early-stage work for three solar installations on Sakku Properties Ltd. buildings in Rankin Inlet will receive $220,000.
Those systems are expected to generate solar power for the community by 2025, according to the release.
“It is critical that we fight climate change, build infrastructure that supports economic growth, and change the legacy of diesel fuel that is shipped through Arctic waters,” Kono Tattuinee, president of the Kivalliq Inuit Association, said in the release.
The funding announcement follows several recent fuel spills that occurred in the territory.
On July 22, approximately 4,800 litres of gasoline overflowed from the tank farm in Sanikiluaq. On July 18, approximately 7,000 litres of diesel fuel spilled outside Rankin Inlet’s power plant, and 7,000 litres of diesel fuel was released from a ruptured pipeline in Pond Inlet on June 11.
What a farce, KIA and Sakku’s consultants and the friends and family members of certain board members will be living the life. 19 million dollars to rehash old studies and pay a few Inuit.
Worse part is that their consultants will be allowed to mis-interpret IQ to suit their agenda’s without consequence.
Reply to the first comment, you have a right to fear, they will get you once your name is revealed. Inuit orgs are the highest paid elected ppl in Canada, Nunavik, Nunavut top brass are very comfortable, living the life. RIOs and the two parent organization heads should reveal their top salaries, Kivalliq top Inuk, guessing is 400K?
400k? What does the KIA president do to earn that
So the issue here is not the Liberals as they have provided Nunavut with new funding that we have never seen before, the issue is our Inuit organizations? How about the GN?
With all this new funding I hope it will help to start making improvements here and our organizations work better to help make it better.
Congratulations, Mr. Minister! It’s great to be in the forefront of energy technology—technology, however, so innovative it has yet to be invented.
Problem 1. There’s very low consumption of energy in summer and—believe it or not!—it’s only then that solar energy gets generated.
Problem 2. Battery technology simply doesn’t exist to store energy generated in July for use in February—when it’s actually needed.
In sum, where’s the business plan showing the financial viability of this project? A spending plan for make-work is not such a plan. Better spend the money where it’s needed—on housing, for example.
“When finished, the one-megawatt facility will supply 30 per cent of the community’s demand for energy with locally produced renewable energy.”
The complete lack of skepticism on the part of our news media is just stunning to me.
PS The technology does already exist, requiring only minor modification, to deliver “green” electricity in the North. It’s nuclear. No need for scarce and expensive rare metals from China. Or the pollution problem with disposing of solar panels at the end of their lifespan.
Imagine the Kool-aid swallowed after all the massive benefit gains, creating electricity with diesel generators over the past 60, 70 years in the Kivalliq to go the opposite… backwards.
But guess when join the climate cult of fear there is no concern about child rare earth mining slaves and its toxic pollution in other country. So why worry of own when can freely talk its “Free energy”.
Though the big wind turbine industry owner and its partners with their noisy, 89 to over 200mph spinning blades, always flashing lights high in the sky on their massive land area, will sell their generation to the power corp.
When the wind blows, don’t blow or blows too hard. They make the $$$$$. Yeah right, higher electricity prices won’t happen. Funny or sad con promoted as free?
Wind industry can’t happen unless the diesel generators are steadily purring 24/7 to keep base-load. Means when turn of the light switch the light goes on.
But let’s watch for coming electricity rations, when can or not use. And of course frequent long term freezing blackouts. Why around the world countries are abandoning wind turbines after 20 years of use.
Because people no longer want to be associated with being anti wildlife, anti-environment. And higher electricity prices that go hand in hand wind turbines. And don’t want to live near one for their health and mental health.
But of course wind industry is still pushing up wind turbines where whales live and feed. People are fighting to save the them.
Clean energy? What will they do about contaminated lakes?
Speaking of fuel spills – there is a huge spill from back in NCPC days, located right in the middle of the town of Baker Lake and it is migrating towards the town water source. On warm days in Baker you can smell the spilled diesel fuel.
Canada needs to clean up its own mess before it goes wild with new projects.