Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the last couple of years it has been well publicized that the Power Corporation has received large amounts of money from this Legislature to keep the costs of power down to the residents of the NWT. I'd like to ask the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation if he can tell the House what the water levels look like at Bluefish Dam. Thank you.
Masi. The Minister responsible for NWT Power Corporation.
Yes, Mr. Speaker, the Members of this House will know that in the last couple of years there have been significant contributions, $20 million one year and $27.5 million the last year to offset costs related to low water. I have spoken to senior management at the Power Corporation and they are optimistic that no further funds will be required going forward. Their research indicates that the very low water levels of the last two years were a real anomaly. Going back to 1950, it was the lowest they had seen, and they're optimistic that water levels will be higher this year and going forward, so hopefully, they will not require any more funds from this government. Thank you.
That is good news. Good news for the residents of the Northwest Territories. If the water levels are not as high as anticipated by the Power Corporation, is there an immediate contingency plan that can be used, as opposed to just coming and asking for money? Is there another contingency plan that would address the issue if the water levels are down?
I understand in speaking with senior management that they have not in fact used up all the money from past years so there is some left over. Long-term, to deal with this issue, there will probably need to be a connection with the continental grid, which would be, of course, very expensive. But again, their research indicates that the water levels of the last two years are the lowest since 1950, and they are very optimistic that water levels will be higher this year and there will not be a problem in the next few years.
Beyond a contingency plan and beyond the fact that water levels look good now, there's still potential for water levels to be down again and us being faced with this type of cost. Are there any other alternatives that the Power Corporation is looking at should the water levels go down again? Alternatives to diesel, is what I'm referring to.
The Power Corporation is always looking at alternatives to diesel. We, of course, want to reduce our consumption of diesel energy and so others such as solar and wind are being looked as supplement, so that in the future if there are again low water levels, which is likely in the long term, that that issue can be dealt with not by using more diesel but by using solar, biomass, and other alternative energy sources.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
