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Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide Members an update on the board governance structure and future opportunities for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, or NTPC.

The vision of NTPC is to enrich the lives of Northerners by providing power that supports living, working, and investing in the Northwest Territories. Strong, independent governance is an important part of delivering on that vision.

The Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC), Naka Power Utilities (NWT) Ltd. (NAKA), with the support of the GNWT, are launching public engagement on the Integrated Power System Plan (IPSP), a major multi-year effort led by the NWT Public Utilities Board (PUB) to plan the future of electricity across the territory.

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Mr. Speaker, when the Public Utility Board, or PUB, accepted the terms of sale of the Hay River utility franchise to the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, or NTPC, earlier this year, it set a deadline of October 30 for the filing of a General Rate Application, or GRA, by all NWT utility companies. On Wednesday afternoon, NTPC filed a GRA Over the next several months, the PUB will review the application to ultimately determine whether the costs that NTPC has presented are reasonable and reflect the true cost to deliver electricity.

Minister of Infrastructure, Caroline Wawzonek, issued the following statement today regarding the filing of Northwest Territories Power Corporation’s (NTPC) General Rate Application:

NT Energy and the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) are pleased to announce the launch of Hay River’s first Level 3 Electric Vehicle (EV) Fast Charger. This 100kW charger, installed as part of the GNWT’s 2030 Energy Strategy and 2022-2025 Energy Action Plan, marks a significant milestone in reducing transportation emissions and brings the NWT closer to establishing a zero-emission vehicle corridor. There will be two Level 3 charging stations along with two Level 2 charging stations installed at the Hay River location, allowing several vehicles to charge at the same time.

Media is invited to receive an update on the wildfire situation in the Northwest Territories, the ongoing response to the wildfires, and resulting evacuations.

Premier Caroline Cochrane, Minister Shane Thompson and program experts from multiple Government of the Northwest Territories departments as well as representatives from NorthwesTel and Northwest Territories Power Corporation will be available to answer questions.

DATE: Monday, August 14, 2023

TIME: 4 p.m. MST

LOCATION: Virtual (Microsoft Teams)

Recognizing the impact of inflation, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is introducing temporary relief to electricity rates. The relief will offset significant increases in the price and consumption of diesel over the past year and a half in the territory.

To keep consumer electricity bills at their current levels, the GNWT is making a one-time contribution of $15.2 million to the Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC). 

Two significant uncontrollable events have occurred that have driven the cost to provide power much higher.

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Mr. Speaker, the past two years have been a difficult time for us all as we endured the challenges associated with a world-wide pandemic. We now face a period of economic uncertainty, due in part to the war in Ukraine and its global implications on the availability of, and cost of, goods and services.

Premier Cochrane along with Ministers Diane Archie, Paulie Chinna and Nahendeh MLA Shane Thompson met late yesterday evening to review the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) response to flooding in the Northwest Territories (NWT) and to discuss next steps.

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Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories Power Corporation or NTPC provides an essential service to residents and businesses in the Northwest Territories. Without reliable electricity, many of the activities we take for granted, such as cooking, washing clothes or using our computers would be impossible. It is therefore critical that the Corporation maintains its assets to ensure that electricity is available when it is needed and that it is delivered at an affordable rate.