Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to clear the air about the plan to build the wind farm in Tuktoyaktuk. I don’t want our community and the whole region of Nunakput to miss out on this opportunity because of misunderstandings.
The plan is to put three wind turbines to generate electricity and feed into our local grid. This will reduce the amount of diesel fuel that we burn, because the fuel costs will be going up in the long run. This will save money as well as give us cleaner power.
The Northwind 100 turbines are state of the art. They are designed to work in cold climates like ours. They’re working very well in Alaska.
This project is a $4 million project and is a win-win for our community, with almost no risk. Our government is committed to financing the deal with the Tuktoyaktuk Power Corporation that ensures a positive revenue stream. It might not be the 15 percent profit, but it will make money and will create two new jobs right off the bat.
These turbines were scheduled to be put up next summer and it should happen without delay. Not only is it good for Tuk, but this project will help other Nunakput communities get theirs started. Most of them have stronger winds and higher electricity costs than Tuk, but in the long run this will cut the price of power in the communities and will put money into people’s pockets. It will mean more businesses, more jobs, more training for the people in Tuk as well as other communities that I represent.
I don’t need to remind you how badly we need good-paying jobs in the small communities. I’ve worked hard to advance this project and I’d like to thank my colleagues for all the support they’ve given me.
We do need the best for our people of Nunakput. We need to get this wind farm built and do the right thing for the future. This is an opportunity for all communities. This is a stepping stone that the other three communities will get after this first project is done.
I’d like to thank the Premier for all the help he’s given me in regard to this, and the ENR Minister.
