Dogrib investment
brings high returns
With the
federal, provincial and territorial governments writing new greenhouse
gas reduction strategies, a joint venture involving the Dogrib Power
Corporation and the Northwest Territories Power Corporation continues
to contribute significantly to the avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions
in the region.
In 1992 representatives
of Dogrib and the Northwest Territories Power Corporation held initial
discussions on developing and building a hydroelectric generating plant
on the Snare River just north of the Rae and Edzo communities. Those
early discussions were the basis of the Dogrib Power Project Agreement
and associated Power Acquisition Agreement.
On 26 March 1993
at Snare Lake, Northwest Territories, the Dogrib Power Corporation and
the Northwest Territories Power Corporation officially confirmed and
acknowledged these agreements at a Ceremonial Signing.
The key objective
of the partnership was to build a hydroelectric generating plant with
capacity to meet the electricity demands of customers in the Dogrib/North
Slave Region. It was also recognized at the time, that by meeting this
objective the partnership would be making a valuable contribution to
the reduction of greenhouse emissions in the Northwest Territories.
In August 1996 the
Dogrib Power Corporation, through the Power Acquisition Agreement, signed
a 65 year lease with the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. This
provided the Dogrib Power Corporation with a guaranteed revenue stream
on its investment.
In its first four
years of operation, the Snare Cascades hydroelectric generating plant
has produced more than 110 million kilowatt hours of electricity. This
would be enough electricity to operate more than 125,000 standard light
bulbs of 100 watts continuously for one year. Production of 110 million
kilowatt hours of hydro electricity also means that the Northwest Territories
Power Corporation has avoided using 30 million litres of diesel fuel
which would have been required to diesel generate this amount of electricity.
Last year alone
the plant generated more than 30 million kilowatt hours which translates
into nearly 23,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions which would have
been produced if diesel generation had been used instead of hydro. When
compared with the Northwest Territories Power Corporation's total emissions
in 1990/91 of just over 200,000 tonnes, the avoided emissions of the
Dogrib Power Corporation plant equate to more than 11% of this benchmark
measurement.
Next year the plant
will not only celebrate 5 years of operation but it will also achieve
the equivalent of more than 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions
avoided as a result of the hydro electricity generated.
The success of this
partnership, plus the increased activity in the diamond industry, and
the continuing trend of rising oil prices, has resulted in the two corporations
exploring the second stage of the project, which is to build a second
generation plant on the Snare River.
This was always
one of the long-term goals of the partnership and if it does proceed
it will result in the anticipated increase in demand for electricity
being delivered in an environmentally friendly way.
The continued prosperity
of the Northwest Territories is dependent on attracting new industry
and with it more employment. In many parts of the Territories, the arrival
of new industry also means an increase in greenhouse gas emissions because
of the reliance on diesel generated electricity. To that end this partnership
is not only generating large volumes of sustainable hydro electricity,
but just as importantly it continues to make a very significant contribution
toward the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the Northwest Territories.
