Electricity 101

Power Generation in the Northwest Territories -- Short video explaining how power is generated for communities in the NWT

Our operations

NTPC has:

• 210 full-time equivalent positions in 29 communities
• 3 hydroelectric systems: Snare, Bluefish, and Taltson
• Diesel plants in 26 communities
• 1 natural gas power plant with an LNG storage facility, in Inuvik
• 5 solar arrays: Fort Simpson, Colville Lake, Ft. Liard, Aklavik and Wrigley
• 565 km of transmission lines between our hydro plants and the communities they supply
• 375 km of distribution lines within communities
• 9,970 power poles

Key Initiatives

Solar

• 104 kW array in Fort Simpson -- connected in 2014
• 135 kW array in Colville Lake -- connected in two stages - June 2015 and December 2015
• Solar array in Fort Liard -- connected in March 2016
• Solar array in Wrigley
• Solar array in Aklavik

Batteries

• The Colville Lake solar system includes integrated batteries and controls to manage diesel operation based on the solar output
• NTPC has issued a "Request for Proposals" (RFP) for a large back-up battery to improve reliability in Yellowknife

Wind

• Wind monitoring studies currently underway in Inuvik and Yellowknife
• EOI for Yellowknife solar includes options for large-scale wind installation in Yellowknife

Liquid Natural Gas (LNG)

• NTPC has been trucking LNG to Inuvik for use in our natural gas engines since 2014
• Investigation of opportunities for LNG use in Fort Simpson is currently underway

Net Metering

• Residents, businesses, and local governments who own small, commercially-proven, renewable energy generators to generate their own power can send any surplus onto the electricity grid in their community and receive a credit from NTPC
• More information on Net Metering is available in the Customer Care section of our external website

Electrical Terminology

Click here to access a glossary of common electrical terminology.