Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Earlier I made a statement on just some of the challenges that our people have in terms of meeting their challenges to heat their homes. My question is to the Minister of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation.
Could the Minister explain how the NWT Energy Action Plan could provide immediate relief for increasing fuel prices and our dependency on fossil fuels? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Minister Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member’s statement today in the House captured some of the potential in terms of hooking in some of the communities in his riding, Providence, Kakisa, to the grid. It’s just a question of where are the resources available to do that and we are working on that piece as well. Thank you.
The question that I have is the Energy Action Plan outlines the potential expansion of the southern goods from the South Slave region. I wanted to see and to know whether there has been any regard or consideration for the benefits that communities in and around that area could derive from the expansion of the grids, especially at the end of the day the consumers that have to contend with the high and increasing rate of fuel.
How would the communities benefit from such an expansion? Mahsi.
If there was one of the two options that the Member talked about in his statement, if one of those was put into effect, either the running of the grid north along the west side across the bridge up to Behchoko or running a low voltage line down as the Member suggested in his statement, both would have the benefit of taking two communities off of diesel-generated electricity and would bring the costs in line with Yellowknife and would drop the emissions. It would be a much better long-term solution for all and would get a big chunk of community needs off of fossil fuel.
In terms of the next steps for the Energy Action Plan that the government is contemplating and in development, what can we expect in terms of this series of steps that could come about within the year in terms of advancing the plan? Mahsi.
Thank you. The government will continue to invest, as we’ve laid out in our business plan, in relatively modest investments that we can afford in the different areas with renewables, with solar, with biomass, with energy efficiencies, rebate programs, those types of things. We’re also looking to successfully conclude our negotiations and discussion with the federal government on our increased borrowing limit that would give us the opportunity to sit down and talk about these economic investments, be it grid expansions in the North and South Slave, road expansion between Wrigley and Norman Wells, those type of things where we would be able to come to the table and talk to industry through a P3 type of process about how do we partner in those type of things.
So, in the short-term, it’s going to be the business we already have committed, longer term it’s going to be a successful conclusion to give us the tools to make those investments. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Hawkins.
