Canada this month unveiled federal funding to the tune of nearly $17 million targeting two hydro projects in the remote regions of Inukjuak Village and St-Michel-des Saint.
The Innavik Remote Hydro Project in Quebec provides a run-of-river hydropower facility that replaces reliance on diesel fuel for almost all Inukjuak’s energy needs, according to a statement from the government, which is also exploring the development of a 17-MW hydroelectric power plant elsewhere in the province at the site of the Matawin dam near St-Michel-des Saint.
The Innavik project, which received $14.9 million in funding through Canada’s Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities program, is the biggest off-grid hydropower project in the country, according to Brendan Hanley, who serves as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs.
The Matawak Hydroelectric Power Plant project, meanwhile, received over $1.7 million in funding through the Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program.
“I am proud to see the largest off-grid hydropower project in Canada come to life and the exploration of more community-led initiatives in Canada’s Northern regions,” stated Hanley.
Launched in 2018 and recapitalized in 2021, the $453 million CERRC program has supported 229 different projects nationwide to reduce the reliance on diesel fuel for heat and power in rural and remote communities.
The $4.5-billion Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program, meanwhile, is designed to support the deployment of grid modernization and energy storage technologies throughout Canada.
Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, says the government is committed to supporting clean energy projects in rural and remote communities.
In doing so, “we are investing in initiatives to create economic growth in communities while tackling climate change,” he stated.