Residents in the South Slave region are now officially back on hydro power as of Tuesday.
The NWT Power Corporation announced through a press release that the Taltson Hydro Unit has returned to service after being down for an overhaul since May 2023. It was originally meant to be a six-month project that was to be completed by November 2023, but evacuations caused by wildfires coupled with what was described as "alignment issue within the unit" forced the project to be delayed.
The 22-megawatt hydro unit provides power to Hay River, Fort Smith, Fort Resolution, Enterprise and K'atl'odeeche First Nation (KFN).
SA国际影视传媒淭he Taltson overhaul has been one of the largest and most complex projects in NTPCSA国际影视传媒檚 history," stated Cory Strang, president and CEO of the power corp. "It faced many challenges, but our team of employees and contractors got the job done. Federal funding support was critical to making this project happen.SA国际影视传媒�
That federal funding Strang refers to was $17.8 million through the federal government's Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. That brought the net cost of the overhaul down to around $97.8 million; the total overall cost was around $115 million broken down into $70 million in project costs and $45 million for diesel and other various operational costs.
The work done included replacing the turbine and turbine shaft, rotor and generator as well as upgrading of plant equipment that was at the end of its life including control panels and vibration monitoring equipment.
All five communities serviced by Taltson were moved over to diesel generators for the duration of the project.
Taltson was originally built in the 1960s to provide power to the Pine Point mine located between Hay River and Fort Resolution. At the time of the overhaul's announcement, power corp. spokesperson Doug Prendergast said replacing the turbine, generator and key component parts were "a smart economic and environmental move."
There are some technical issues that were identified earlier this year, but an interim solution has been put in place that will allow the unit to return to commercial operation.
The facility will be taken offline for a brief period to install a permanent solution, stated the power corp. in the release.
While electricity rates for customers will remained as they were during the project, Prendergast said back in March 2023 that there was no estimate on rates and on customers once the project was complete and financing was finalized.
An expansion of the plant was announced last November with the federal government announcing $25 million in funding that would go toward helping provide power to new critical mineral projects. A 230-kilovolt transmission line connecting the Taltson grid with the Snare hydro system grid north of Great Slave Lake is also set to be created.
The expansion is expected to include a partnership with Indigenous governments such as the Northwest Territory Metis Nation (NWTMN), the Salt River First Nation, and the Akaitcho Dene First Nations, which includes the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, Lutsel KSA国际影视传媒檈 Dene First Nation, and Deninu KSA国际影视传媒檜e First Nation.
SA国际影视传媒淭he overhaul of the Taltson Hydroelectric Facility will help to improve reliability, avoiding future unplanned outages," stated Caroline Wawzonek, Minister Responsible for NTPC. "Extending the life of an existing asset like Taltson is an economical way to ensure that South Slave communities continue to be powered by clean hydro for the next 50to 60 years.SA国际影视传媒�
