Backgrounder
On July 29, 2026, the Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Nature, and Brendan Hanley, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs, announced today nearly $7 million in funding for eight clean energy projects in Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut that will strengthen local electricity systems, reduce reliance on fossil fuels and support long-term economic growth for communities in the North. These investments will help ensure communities have reliable access to clean power that will support families, businesses, critical infrastructure and future economic development.
Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities (CERRC)
The Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities (CERRC) program provides funding for projects that reduce reliance on fossil fuels for heating and electricity in Indigenous, rural and remote communities across Canada.
Project name: Clean Energy Research Team for Northern Grid Impact Studies
Recipient: Yukon University
Location: Whitehorse, Yukon
Funding amount: $2,807,398
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC): $400,000
Description: The project will facilitate community-led renewable generation projects in northern communities of Yukon, NWT and Nunavut through enhancements to power system models, on-site community outreach efforts, training, and strengthening collaboration with local stakeholders.
Project name: Fort Providence Hydrokinetic Demonstration
Recipient: Big River Services Centre LP
Location: Fort Providence, NWT
Funding amount: $766,090
Description: This project will undertake preliminary activities for a hydrokinetic turbine demonstration in the Mackenzie River near Big River Services Centre (BRS).
Project name: 15 kW Garage Solar Net-Metering System
Recipient: Municipality of Resolute Bay
Location: Resolute Bay, NU
Funding amount: $260,000
Description: This project will install a 15-kilowatt (kW) solar photovoltaic (PV) system on a municipal garage in the remote community of Resolute Bay in Nunavut.
Project name: Noel Nuvak Arena Solar Project
Recipient: Hamlet of Chesterfield Inlet
Location: Chesterfield Inlet, NU
Funding amount: $729,434
Description: The recipient installed a 134-kW solar array on the roof of the community center rink in Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut, to reduce diesel reliance and provide cost savings.
Project name: Arviat Clean Energy Microgrid
Recipient: Kivalliq Alternative Energy Ltd.
Location: Arviat, Nunavut
Funding amount: $410,625
Description: This project will complete the necessary frontend engineering and design (FEED) study to make a hybrid renewable energy system ready for procurement and construction phases.
Project name: Kuugalak Embodied Carbon Analysis
Recipient: Kitikmeot Heritage Society
Location: Cambridge Bay, Nunavut
Funding amount: $99,000
Description: The project supported an embodied carbon analysis for the construction of a new cultural research campus in Cambridge Bay–called Kuugalak–dedicated to the documentation, revitalization and mobilization of Inuinnait knowledge.
Project name: Biomass Heat Feasibility – Whitehorse, Yukon (Downtown)
Recipient: Northern Vision Development LP
Location: Whitehorse, Yukon
Funding amount: $42,500
Description: This project will complete a feasibility study to assess the technical, economic, and logistical viability of a biomass-fired district heating system serving multiple downtown Whitehorse buildings.
Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program (SREPs)
The Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program (SREPs) supports the deployment of grid modernization, energy storage and renewable energy technologies to grow the grid in a sustainable, affordable and reliable manner.
Project name: Mobile Wind Resource Assessment - Kivalliq
Recipient: Nunasi Corporation
Location: Baker Lake, Whale Cove, and Chesterfield Inlet, NU
Funding amount: $1,440,245
Description: A portable wind speed measurement device was deployed in three communities to collect a detailed wind resource information. Now completed, it directly enabled the advancement of wind energy development in Baker Lake, which is now entering construction planning, and has helped determine the feasibility in the other two communities, also exceeding its capacity-building goals.