Alternatives North urges Ottawa not to back Taltson hydro expansion

The NWT’s planned Taltson hydro expansion is among the top 25 “nation-building” projects the federal government is considering pursuing, but Alternatives North is hoping Ottawa will think twice before giving the project a green light.

The NWT government has spent years lobbying the federal government for funding to support the multi-phase project, now expected to cost between $2 billion and $3 billion.

In a recent letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office, NWT environmental and social justice coalition Alternatives North argues that money could be better spent.

The organization raised concerns with the “excessive” cost and potential environmental impacts of the proposed Taltson hydro expansion, advocating instead for locally driven clean energy initiatives with community benefits.

Asked what he would say to Carney if given the chance, Alternatives North member Bob Bromley told Cabin Radio: “It’s great that you’re considering nation-building projects, and we hope that they will be projects that support communities and people and local economies in ways that are good for the environment.”

Bromley said the prime minister’s office had confirmed receipt of Alternatives North’s letter and said it would be shared with the relevant federal ministers.

Clean energy for mines

The hydro expansion project proposes adding 60 megawatts of capacity to the existing Taltson hydro system, in the South Slave, and connecting it to the North Slave’s Snare hydro system through a transmission line across Great Slave Lake.

The NWT government then plans to provide power to the Slave Geological Province, an area rich in minerals that stretches from Great Slave Lake to the Coronation Gulf. The territory eventually hopes to connect the integrated hydro system to Alberta or Saskatchewan.

The territorial government has touted the project as a way to provide clean energy to potential future mines.

NWT officials have said the hydro expansion would also stabilize electricity rates for 70 percent of the territory’s population and reduce reliance on diesel when water levels are low on the Snare River system.

In its letter, Alternatives North argues the planned Taltson expansion prioritizes industry over community needs and is too much of a financial risk given the lack of a committed industrial customer base.

“We would ask the GNWT to shift their focus from subsidizing mines, which they’re very ineffective at and it’s a very costly process, to supporting communities and people in their efforts to turn to renewable energy,” Bromley said.

“It just seems insane to be continuing with these big projects that serve, really, the people that don’t need money and that are from away, using local resources.”

Bromley said modern mines can incorporate renewable energy in other ways, pointing to wind turbines and a solar plant at the Diavik diamond mine, adding that doing so would provide mines with a “competitive advantage.”

He said Alternatives North would like to see the NWT government set renewable energy standards for mines that are ramped up over time.

GNWT defends Taltson plan

In a statement to Cabin Radio, a spokesperson for the territorial cabinet said while industrial demand will help finance the planned hydro grid, the benefits will flow directly to communities.

“This is about building a clean, affordable energy future for northerners – not choosing industry over communities,” they wrote.

“This is a generational opportunity to deliver clean, reliable and affordable energy that supports communities, industry and Canada’s climate goals.”

Alternatives North released a study in 2020 that concluded the Taltson hydro expansion would be the most expensive way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the NWT. It said the territory should instead focus on carbon offsets, wood pellet heating and renewable diesel.

In its recent letter to the prime minister, Alternatives North further said large hydro projects can carry hidden costs and asserted that damming rivers can release greenhouse gases, threaten aquatic ecosystems and even increase mercury contamination.

In its statement, cabinet said the Taltson expansion has been designed as a low-impact project and no new dams are planned. It said the project would undergo an environmental review to ensure the impacts are understood and mitigated.

The statement added the GNWT is investing in community-focused clean energy projects, saying both local solutions and grid-scale hydro are “necessary for affordability, emissions reductions, and long-term energy security.”