Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As mentioned in my Member's statement, my question is directed to the Minister of the NWT Power Corporation with respect to the pilot project that is, I would probably say, completed and producing results here in the community of Colville Lake. As you know, it's a small-populated community similar to a few others in our NWT area. Visualizing and seeing the results, having spent a couple of years in my growing up days there and seeing and reading by candle light now to solar powered-generated LED light bulbs is really a vast and significant change here and contribution should be given to the previous Assembly in doing so. My question today is, after realizing the repeated benefits, are those benefits going to be reviewed and applied to other similar communities of that size? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister responsible for Northwest Territories Power Corporation.
Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased to attend with the Premier, several weeks ago, and other staff from the Power Corporation and government officials, at the opening of the solar battery diesel plant, grand opening, official opening, in Colville Lake. There is a Solar Energy Strategy that the Government rolled out in 2012, I believe, and so we are committed to looking at other projects. It appears that there will always be a need, obviously, in view of where we live to have a combination of supplies, if I can put it that way, of perhaps diesel, or including diesel, but we wish to, in particular, look at the diesel communities and hopefully replace them with solar alternatives to as high an extent as we can. There are expenses involved. The plant in Colville Lake was not cheap, but it also built capacity for the Power Corporation going forward.
My second question is: what other communities are on the list on a move-forward basis?
We are, of course, as I mentioned previously looking at replacing diesel so that we are looking at the thermal communities. I could perhaps undertake to provide a list of communities that we're looking at in the future. I don't have that list in front of me now.
With the savings that we are realizing and seeing here, is the Power Corporation going to pass that savings on to the ratepayer or the customer? In addition to seeing the benefits that are being created by solar power in the small community of Colville then applied to the other communities and the recent reduction and restructuring of the board of directors of the corporation, that's an additional benefit as well. Are we going to see those benefits passed on to the consumer or customer, and are they going to realize in seeing that benefit on a monthly-end bill?
The prime objective of the Power Corporation is to supply customers with safe, reliable, cost-effective energy. As part of this, we are rolling out other projects that will assist in us arriving at that end. I will say, though, at least initially, that often solar projects are quite expensive and do not result in an immediate reduction in the amounts that people see at the end-of-month bills. But there are other benefits to solar. It reduces the emissions that go into the atmosphere, so again, the Power Corporation is intent on delivering power, whether it's diesel or other means, at the cheapest possible price that we can, and hopefully we will be able to pass benefits on to the ultimate customers. I don't see that reflected in bills in the immediate future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
