Welcome

In any relationship, trust is earned through keeping promises, consistency, and reliability. That means doing what we say we’ll do, keeping in touch, and responding to your needs. We understand that it’s our job to earn trust—it’s not something that’s granted automatically. We believe this to be a work in progress, and must change and grow based on feedback from you.

The way we listen, communicate, and act, must reflect what makes sense and feels comfortable to you. In particular, if or when we make mistakes. We don’t expect trust right away—we simply ask for an opportunity to connect and demonstrate our commitment to building trust, through public engagement events and communications that match your expectations.

Beneficiaries have many Rights under the Nunavut Agreement: harvesting, economic development, employment opportunities, co-management of resources in the territory, and more. These Rights will be maintained no matter what happens with renewable energy development in Nunavut.

Renewable energy can contribute to these Rights by creating jobs and work for local companies, and reducing the harmful effects of diesel so that generations to come can enjoy a healthy environment. Access roads built for renewable energy developments may give better access to harvesting areas, helping beneficiaries who, right now, don’t have the resources to get to remote areas. Renewable resource development in Nunavut does not take away from your Rights as a beneficiary. Your Rights will always be respected as they are legally protected under the Nunavut Agreement.

NNC follows a development process that features four main decision points, where we look to Inuit leadership and the public to decide if, and how, we move forward. This is how we make sure that any project proposed to the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB) is studied and shaped by Inuit and the community, from the beginning.

Beyond that, there are two legal decision points that are controlled by Inuit, external to NNC.

1. An Impacts and Benefits Agreement must be made with the Qikiqtani Inuit Association that is satisfactory to Inuit leadership.
2. An environmental assessment must be completed by NIRB, which will determine whether or not the possible impacts, and impacts mitigation strategy, is satisfactory.

Both of these processes will involve independent engagement with Inuit, and are in place to make sure that a project only happens if it’s in the best interest of Inuit. We encourage all Inuit to participate in these decisions and make their voices heard.

Renewable energy can bring many different benefits to your life. Right now, the Government of Nunavut is spending tens of millions of dollars on subsidizing diesel power. If we switch to renewable energy, that money can instead be spent on Elders care, health care, education, housing, and more. It will also really cut down on the amount of pollution going into the air from the diesel power plant, which contributes to climate change.

Through the regional-community ownership model that NNC promotes, renewable energy can bring profits directly to your community, to be spent on community priorities such as cultural programming, community infrastructure, and scholarships. These projects need workers, and we want as many Inuit to be working on them as possible. This means training and jobs that you can apply for, based on what your interests are.

Historically, Qulliq Energy Corporation (the crown-owned electrical utility) has owned and operated all the power plants in the territory. When it comes to renewable energy projects, QEC has said that they are not in a position to pursue that kind of development, and look to Inuit-owned Independent Power Producers like NNC to fill that need.

As a 100% Inuit-owned business, NNC has access to federal government supports and financing that QEC does not. In addition, we believe that Inuit should own, control, and benefit from more of the territory’s key infrastructure—that’s part of economic reconciliation. NNC’s business model is centered on maximizing benefits to Inuit, not profits. Our ownership and governance structure under the Qikiqtaaluk Corporation and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association holds us accountable to this commitment.

Let’s start by looking at how power bills are calculated right now. Your bill is measured by QEC, watched over by the Utility Rates Review Council (URRC), and approved by the Government of Nunavut. To start, QEC adds up all their costs: running and maintaining the diesel plant, taking care of the power lines, office and diesel plant staff, and of course, buying diesel. If those costs change, they ask for help from the URRC, which reviews everything and makes a recommendation to the Minister Responsible for QEC on if power bills should go up or down. The Minister makes the decision, and QEC follows it.

If NNC produces renewable energy, we can sell it to QEC. The cost of the renewable energy goes into the calculation they make for the overall cost of power. If the cost of renewable energy is less than the costs of diesel, and running the diesel plant all the time, it makes sense to pass on those cost savings to Nunavummiut through lower power bills. However, that decision is not controlled by NNC.

One thing we know for sure is that the cost of diesel keeps going up, which is why you keep seeing increases to your power bill. The cost of operating a water power plant generally stays the same over time. This means that if a water power plant gets built for Iqaluit, and we stop depending on diesel so much, Nunavummiut could expect to see their power bills become more stable.

In all cases, if renewable energy gets built, the diesel power plant will continue to be an important part of the system.

In communities that develop wind and/or solar energy with battery storage, there will be times when the wind isn’t blowing, or the sun isn’t shining, and the diesel generators will turn on to supply electricity to the community. All energy sources will work together.

In communities that develop water power, generally, the diesel power plant will be there for back-up, in case of emergency, and also when maintenance or repairs are needed at the water power plant or transmission line.

Yes! Renewable energy infrastructure manufacturers have created options specifically for Arctic use.

• Wind turbines can include heated blades to prevent ice buildup, rotating turbines to align with the wind, and brakes to stop the blades turning when the wind is too strong.
• Solar panels actually work even better in the cold.
• Water power systems can be designed in a way that makes sure the water intake pipe sits below the depth of ice in the water.
• Batteries can be housed inside a heated, ventilated sea can.

There are examples of all these types of renewable energy infrastructure working well across the Arctic, from Alaska to Norway.

The Project owner will be responsible for taking care of the infrastructure. In most cases, this will be NNC.

If we partner with other organizations to create an ownership group for a project, that group will be responsible.

One of our top priorities is to increase job opportunities for Inuit, through renewable energy development. We hope that in each community where a Project is happening, there will be Inuit interested in training to assist with infrastructure construction, operation, maintenance, and repair.

Once construction starts, you’ll notice heavy equipment working to build a road at least 4 km long to the renewable energy infrastructure.

At the beginning, you might hear the trucks moving rocks and flattening the ground. Later, the sea lift will bring equipment that needs to be hauled out to the site. This means you’ll see big trucks pulling wind turbine blades, pipes for the water power, or other large-scale machinery. Traffic could be disrupted temporarily.

Construction will only start if a project has been approved by regulators in Nunavut. Construction notices will be shared well before any activity happens in your community.

We will make every effort to minimize the effects of equipment transportation to your daily life.

Each type of infrastructure—including diesel—comes with its own set of potential impacts. What those look like completely depends on what the land, water, and air is like right now. That’s why we carry out extensive environmental studies before any project is considered for construction; to understand the current situation, and how it might change.

It can be irresponsible to speculate or talk about impacts before studies have been done and data has been analyzed. We commit to working together with hunters to make study plans and share all the information collected (including the raw data), so we can learn together about what the impacts might be.

One thing to keep in mind: renewable energy doesn’t use any fuel. This is a huge advantage over diesel power, in minimizing impacts to the land, water, and air. Diesel fumes are a known cause of cancer, which puts the health of Nunavummiut at risk. By shifting away from diesel, we reduce risks to human health. We can also avoid the risks of spilling diesel in the ocean, or on the land, where it can enter the groundwater or lakes.

No. Hunting can still take place around the infrastructure.

It’s possible that road construction, a wind turbine, or water power plant construction could impact caribou behaviour, at least for a period of time. In other communities across the Arctic, some people have seen caribou keeping their distance from new objects and activity at first. As they have time to adapt, they may become more curious and comfortable with passing by the developments, once they learn that there’s no threat.

Protecting caribou is a very high priority for NNC, and we believe that every effort must be taken to support their safety and freedom at all times. There are many things we can do to minimize impacts during construction, and once a project is in operation, such as halting work during calving time and creating specific crossing points on or under the road. These kinds of plans and decisions are made in collaboration with hunters, as they have the best understanding of caribou behaviour and needs.

Solar and wind power generally don’t have any impacts on char. Water power development usually involves creating a reservoir, which causes some changes to river systems. This could potentially impact fish and fish habitat. In the case that any potential negative impacts are predicted, there are ways to build in protections for fish that make sure they have safe ways to navigate the river system, especially for spawning and feeding.

The Innavik Hydro Power Project in Inukjuak, for example, actually had a positive impact of new and larger spawning beds created. They saw the char population go up after the water power project was built. There are federal and territorial rules and laws that require water power projects to maintain fish habitats and water levels so that char populations continue to grow in the area.

Water power, and small-scale solar panel arrays (the size we would see built in Nunavut) generally don’t have any impacts on birds. Wind turbines could possibly carry some impacts for birds, as it’s possible for a bird to fly into one.

Part of the environmental studies done before putting up any wind turbines is focused on bird behaviour. We can learn the flight paths of birds during migration, and the height at which they fly. Based on this knowledge, we can put the turbines at a place and height that creates a safe distance from birds. We can also apply the brakes to the wind turbine blades during migration times, if needed. For perspective, windows in buildings and cats both cause greater risks to birds than wind turbines.

The Nunavut Agreement requires us to negotiate an Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement (IIBA) with the Designated Inuit Organization for the Region—in our case, that’s the Qikiqtani Inuit Association. An IIBA will define how a development is required to be built and/or operate. This includes Inuit employment targets, local business prioritization, training requirements, and compensation.

As we learn about any potential impacts from a proposed project, we’ll create strategies to avoid or reduce those impacts. Within the IIBA, there will be a compensation plan that matches the potential impacts. This will clearly define the benefits Inuit will receive if the project is built. Inuit representatives will participate in the negotiation process so that the IIBA reflects community needs.

NNC can also go beyond the formal IIBA process, to meet the needs of communities in creative ways. We look forward to discussing the goals beneficiaries have, and how NNC can help.