The Délı̨nę Got’ı̨nę Government in the N.W.T. is exploring the feasibility of a small-scale hydro power project on the Great Bear River, which it says could provide reliable electricity to the Délı̨nę community and reduce reliance on diesel fuel.
The government recently applied to the Sahtu Land and Water Board for approval for a contractor to drill approximately six boreholes, to gather data about soil conditions and permafrost depth in the area.
Danny Gaudet, chief of the Délı̨nę Got’ı̨nę Government, says discussions about hydro power potential have been ongoing for several years.
“We’ve been pitching it since 1995, so it’s not just now,” Gaudet said.
He says that while there were earlier plans to build a dam on the Great Bear River, elders in the community opposed the idea and suggested looking for other alternatives.
Now, Gaudet says they are exploring a low-head hydro turbine as an option.
This type of turbine uses the river’s natural flow and a small drop in height — just a few meters — to generate electricity without the need for a dam.
“So we’re working on just doing a feasibility study on it, and then an engineering study to see if it’s doable. And we’re in the middle of that right now. And if we get it done, we’ll make a decision,” Gaudet said.
Gaudet says the study aims to determine if the river flow can produce the one megawatt of power needed to supply the community.
With rising living costs, Gaudet says the goal is to provide the nearly 650 residents with affordable electricity.
“We’re trying to figure out a way to develop something that provides us with cheap energy and gets us off the reliance on fossil fuels for producing power and heat in the community. And we’ve always been looking at the [Great] Bear River as a way to do that,” Gaudet said.
Extended droughts to be considered, says former environment minister
Michael Miltenberger, a former N.W.T. environment minister, says this project has been on the books of the Délı̨nę commnunity for a long time.
Miltenberger recalled a tour he took as a minister with Gaudet around 10 years ago.
“He took us for a tour down the [Great] Bear River to the site where they were thinking of putting in their low-head run-of-the-river hydro project. They’ve been very persistent,” Miltenberger said.
Based on the project documents and community support, Miltenberger says he feels optimistic about the project.
“They do small hydro projects all around the world. This is going to be, as they say, low-head and as unobtrusive as possible. So yes, the technology is there, and they’re following the steps,” Miltenberger said.
However, Miltenberger says the Délı̨nę government should also consider potential challenges, such as extended droughts that the North Slave region has suffered over the years.
Miltenberger says that flow rates, or the volume of moving water in the river, are critical for any hydro project. For example, he says that Great Slave Lake experienced low water levels last year.
“They have to factor in all those considerations and variables as they do their planning, which I’m sure they’re doing,” Miltenberger said.
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