In early September 2022, Tarquti’s team was in Kangirsuk with the Saputik Landholding Corporation to explore their clean energy production options at Tasialuk Lake. The project involves the construction of a run-of-river hydropower plant that has the potential to supply 100% of the community’s energy needs during most of the year. Tarquti Energy is proud to support Saputik’s every step in this essential local green initiative.
Tasialuk Lake is at 100-meter elevation and flows naturally down into Payne River. It is not, in itself, an important subsistence lake, but it is a vital highway in the wintertime, with access to other lakes and campgrounds that the community relies on for subsistence activities. Thanks to its proximity to the village of Kangirsuk, Tasialuk Lake is used by the community for festive activities such as community fishing derbies at Christmas or other holidays.
“Even if we build the hydro project, it will not deteriorate Tasialuk water quality, which is already irredeemably bad. It will not make much of a difference. There are other, better places upriver now where people collect their drinking water and go fishing.”—Zebedee Nungak (radio consultation)
Tasialuk Lake makes the community of Kangirsuk an ideal candidate for a run-of-river hydropower plant which, coupled with other clean energy options, can viably eliminate the current dependence on fossil fuels. Regardless of the final decisions—the creation of a drawdown system or small wind turbine, the adoption of one approach/technology or the other—the potential for 100% clean electricity production is possible in Kangirsuk.
Tasialuk Lake has long been a space for subsistence, made indispensable by the quick access it provides to various resources. More than that, it is a meeting place for the Kangirsumiut community, and maybe soon a symbol of Inuit energy sovereignty.
To Learn More About the Project
A copy of phase 1 technical feasibility report can be consulted at the Saputik L. H. C. office. A PDF copy is also available (note that it is a large file). The full-feasibility study (combined reports of phases 1 and 2) will be issued in March 2023. A copy will be available for anyone to read at the Saputik L. H. C. office in April 2023. Tarquti will also publish a journal to share the public engagement activities results with the public.
