Today, the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs and David Kakuktinniq, President of Sakku Investments Corporation, announced over $19 million in federal funding for three clean energy projects that will increase renewable energy generation in Rankin Inlet, Baker Lake, and Naujaat, Nunavut.
July 29, 2024 — Rankin Inlet, Nunavut — Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Indigenous-led clean energy projects play an important role in reducing the use of costly and polluting diesel for electricity and heating in Northern and Arctic communities and support local jobs and economic development.
Today, the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs and David Kakuktinniq, President of Sakku Investments Corporation, announced over $19 million in federal funding for three clean energy projects that will increase renewable energy generation in Rankin Inlet, Baker Lake, and Naujaat, Nunavut.
Funding will support the construction of a 1.0 + megawatt solar and battery energy storage facility in Naujaat, which currently relies entirely on diesel to meet its electricity needs. This new facility will supply 30% of the community’s electricity demand with locally-produced renewable energy. The project name “Ikayuut” was chosen by the Hamlet Council of Naujaat. It comes from the Inuktitut word “Ikayuuti,” meaning “help, support, or resources,” and speaks to how the project will help support Naujaat’s power grid. Construction is set to start in the summer of 2024.
The federal government is also providing funding for early-stage work on three solar installations on buildings owned by Sakku Properties Ltd., a subsidiary of Sakku Investments Corporation, in Rankin Inlet. The systems will result in 300kW of installed generation capacity, which would reduce diesel and greenhouse gas emissions by more than 56,000 litres and 178,000 kilograms each year. The systems are expected to generate solar power for the community by 2025.
Funding is also being provided for the Baker Lake and Rankin Inlet Wind Energy Development Projects to undertake research and development of wind energy generation to reduce the communities’ reliance on diesel. They will incorporate traditional Inuit knowledge into community input-driven wildlife studies for wind development in northern Canada while supporting local labour, capacity building, training and economic development.
These Inuit-led clean energy initiatives are foundational to Nunavut’s energy transition. Canada is working directly with Indigenous communities to advance self-determination while building a low-emission energy future and creating economic prosperity, security and more resilient communities.
“Helping advance Indigenous-led climate action projects, such as the Ikayuut Solar and Energy Storage Project, is critical to building a low-carbon economy and will help reduce the use of diesel in Canada’s Northern and Arctic regions. This project will be a shining example to other communities seeking to implement solar energy technologies and other renewable energy projects in the North and beyond.”
The Honourable Steven Guilbeault
Minister of Environment and Climate Change
The federal government is investing $18.45 million toward a solar and energy storage facility in Naujaat, including:
- $6.5 million through the Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities Program;
- $5.9 million through Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Low Carbon Economy Fund;
- $1,050,000 under Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan’s) Indigenous Off-Diesel Initiative; and
- $5 million through the Indigenous Community Infrastructure Fund, delivered by Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) and administered by Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated.
Through CIRNAC’s Northern REACHE Program, the Government of Canada is investing $220,000 in the early project development work for solar photovoltaic installations on three Sakku Properties Ltd buildings, a subsidiary of Sakku Investments Corporation, in Rankin Inlet.
The Northern REACHE program supports Indigenous and northern communities' transition away from diesel fuel for electricity and heating by promoting and funding renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, hydroelectricity, and biomass heating. To date, Northern REACHE has supported a total of 222 clean energy projects in the North with an investment of over $102 million, including 47 projects in Nunavut.
NRCan is providing 1,313,282$ in funding for the Baker Lake and Rankin Inlet Wind Energy Development Projects under the Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities Program (CERRC).
The CERRC program provides funding for renewable energy and capacity-building projects to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels for heating and electricity in Indigenous, rural and remote communities across Canada.
Supporting Indigenous leadership and collaborating on solutions to reduce reliance on fossil fuels in Northern communities for First Nations, Inuit and Métis is central to advancing the reconciliation journey and self-determination.
Launched in 2019 and developed with Indigenous representatives and six territorial and provincial governments, Canada's Arctic and Northern Policy Framework is a long-term vision for the Arctic and the North, reflecting the priorities and perspectives of the Arctic and northern people.
Kyle Allen
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Dan Vandal
Minister of Northern Affairs, and the Minister responsible for PrairiesCan and CanNor
kyle.allen@rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca
Matthieu Perrotin
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
matthieu.perrotin@rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca
Kaitlin Power
Senior Press Secretary and Communications Advisor
Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
kaitlin.power@ec.gc.ca
Denise Kusugak
Community Coordinator
Sakku Investments Corporation
867-645-2805
dkusugak@sakku.ca
You can subscribe to receive our news releases and speeches via RSS feeds. For more information or to subscribe, visit www.cirnac.gc.ca/RSS.
