Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link Takes Next Important Steps in its Development
RANKIN INLET, NU – Last month the Kivalliq Inuit Association (KIA) and Sakku Investments
Corporation (Sakku) together welcomed the endorsement of the Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link in
the 2021 Federal Budget as a clear signal that the clean energy and broadband project is
advancing to bring renewable electricity and high speed Internet to the Kivalliq region of
Nunavut. The KIA and Sakku also welcomed Nukik Corporation as the new Inuit-led
development partner for the project.
“We were very pleased to see this important project explicitly named in the Federal Budget as a
signature showpiece of projects underway to green the energy supply to the North,” said Kono
Tattuinee, President of the KIA. “We are excited by this project’s promise to bring our
communities off burning diesel for power, and to promote renewable energy, green Nunavut’s
mining operations, and extend broadband Internet connectivity to our communities.”
The federal budget, tabled on April 19 by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, stated the
following: Budget 2021 proposes to invest $40.4 million over three years, starting in 2021-22, to
support feasibility and planning of hydroelectricity and grid interconnection projects in the North.
This funding could advance projects, such as the Atlin Hydro Expansion Project in Yukon and the
Kivalliq HydroFibre Link Project in Nunavut. Projects will provide clean power to northern
communities and help reduce emissions from mining projects.
The KIA and Sakku boards have jointly formed the establishment of Nukik, which will now
assume the lead role in working with the Canada Infrastructure Bank and major financial
and industry partners to take the KFHL project through this next phase of development and
into the commercial phase. “In our language, Nukik means strength and power. And that is
exactly what this important project represents: our communities will be strengthened by the
renewable power and connectivity the hydro-fibre link brings. We are proud of the role Inuit
leadership have taken to spearhead these efforts for our region and for the Territory. I
congratulate KIA and Sakku’s board for unanimously creating Nukik Corporation and am pleased
to announce David Kakuktinniq as President of Nukik.”
“The Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link is actively at work securing permits, conducting baseline studies and
working in partnership with the Canadian Infrastructure Bank,” remarked David Kakuktinniq,
Nukik’s President. “As one of our first steps we released an RFP with the Bank and have selected
KPMG Canada to serve as Financial Advisor to the Project.”
“We are excited by the momentum we are seeing for the Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link. Tremendous
work has gone into getting it to this stage, and we are excited by the continued championship
from within government, and by the energy and confidence of our partners,” concluded
Tattuinee.
About the Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link Project
The Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link is an Inuit led renewable energy and broadband internet
national infrastructure project. The Project will see 1,200km of high voltage and over
370 km of lower voltage electricity transmission line built to link five communities in the
Kivalliq region of Nunavut (Arviat, Baker Lake, Chesterfield Inlet, Rankin Inlet and
Whale Cove) to the Manitoba electricity and fibreoptic grids. The Project will be rated
at 150 megawatts (MW) of capacity and have a fibreoptic bandwidth capacity of at
least 1,200 gigabits per second (Gbps). This Inuit-led project will be Nunavut’s first
infrastructure link to southern Canada, and will provide enough power and fibreoptic
internet capacity for the Kivalliq region for generations to come.
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For further information:
Jonathan Pameolik
Manager, Communications Kivalliq Inuit Association
Jpameolik@kivalliqinuit.ca (867) 645-5766
Tom Garrett
Lead project consultant for the Kivalliq Inuit Association
tom@chadwickconsulting.ca (204) 806-3670