Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, CanNor and PrairiesCan, announced in a keynote address to the Arctic Energy and Resource Symposium that Nukik Corporation is receiving an additional $2.8 million in funding from Canada’s Northern REACHE Program to advance the Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link project to the next phase of development.
Led by Nukik, an Inuit-owned corporation, the Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link proposes to build a 1,200 kilometre, 150 megawatt transmission line with fibre-optic cabling connecting Manitoba’s grid to the Kivalliq region of Nunavut. This nation-building project would take five communities and at least one gold mine off costly and polluting diesel and deliver high-speed internet to the region. The project would also significantly reduce the risk associated with shipping heavy fuels across the Arctic waters and fuel spills in communities.
“Indigenous investment, participation, and governance over northern infrastructure and resource development is crucial to building healthy and sustainable communities. The Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link will play an important role in reducing pollution and energy costs and fostering economic development. Clean energy projects, such as this one, contribute greatly to climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. Canada is proud to support the advancement of this project and will continue to work with organizations such as the Kivalliq Inuit Association, Sakku Investments, and Nukik Corporation toward a greener, more prosperous future for Nunavut,” said Vandal.
This funding will advance the project development phase activities, which include the engineering, design, and environmental fieldwork necessary for the project to move forward. It builds on previous federal funding for the earlier planning and feasibility phase of the project. Construction is expected to begin by 2028.
“Our People have been wanting to turn to renewable and reliable electricity and connectivity for a long time. Our dependence on diesel fuel is not sustainable and it hinders our social and economic development. This new funding will further help advance a critical project and help Inuit access the same type of opportunities that exist elsewhere in Canada,” said Kono Tattuinee, president of the Kivalliq Inuit Association.
Many communities in the North continue to rely on diesel for electricity and heat, which is costly, polluting, and contributes to climate change. This Inuit-led project will play an important role in reducing energy costs and pollution in the Kivalliq region, while helping to create local jobs and multi-generational socio-economic benefits.
“The Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link is not a ‘nice to have’, it is a ‘must have’ if we want to reach our national climate targets, walk the talk on economic reconciliation and build an equitable society for all Canadians, regardless of which part of the country they live in. Nunavut needs energy and connectivity optionality and this additional funding from the Northern REACHE Program will allow important development activities to proceed and get the project closer to financial close,” said Anne-Raphaëlle Audouin, CEO of Nukik Corporation.
Featured image: (Nukik Corporation)
