Wind turbine arrives in Inuvik

Project is expected to reduce Inuvik's diesel consumption by 30 per cent


Inuvik's new welcome centre. (Photo retrieved on Spectacular NWT's Facebook page)

A 3.5-megawatt wind turbine has arrived in Inuvik, marking another completed step in the multi-year Inuvik Wind Project.

The Department of Infrastructure announced the arrival of the turbine and other component parts in the community on Tuesday.

“Despite challenges to the transportation of the wind turbine, caused by flooding, crews were able to successfully deliver the turbine to Inuvik without sustaining damage or delaying the project,” reads a release from the Department of Infrastructure.

Other parts of the project are still in progress, including the construction of a six-kilometre access road to the turbine, and work on the turbine’s foundation.

Once complete, the wind project is expected to reduce diesel consumption by 30 per cent in the territory’s largest diesel-powered community. This amounts to a 3 million-litre reduction in diesel consumption every year.

The Inuvik Wind Project first received funding in 2018. Thirty million of this funding will come from the federal government, while $10 million will come from the GNWT.

Construction on the project began in January, and the turbine is expected to be up and running sometime in 2023.

About the Author

Ian Down
Ian Down is a general news reporter from the West Island of Montreal. After studying journalism and computer science at Concordia University, he came to Yellowknife in 2021, joining the CKLB team in September 2022. When not behind his desk, you can find him at a local Yellowknife poetry reading, or annoying his roommates by playing his clarinet at odd hours. Feel free to reach out with any tips or story ideas at ian.down@cklb.com, or follow him on Twitter at @IanDown1996.