Nukik Corporation (Nukik) is pleased that the Government of Canada has once again recognized the critical importance of the Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link (KHFL) in its Federal Budget 2023.
This year’s Federal Budget strongly stated Canada’s intention to become a “clean electricity superpower” by committing to new investments in clean electricity to “build a national electrical grid that connects Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast.” The Budget specifically commits the Government to “clean electricity measures that would be able to support projects across the North [to] transition away from diesel and in meeting emissions goals, including the […] the Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link.”
This reinforces the significance of the KHFL as a 100 per cent Inuit-owned and Inuit-led green inter-tie project that will be Nunavut’s first infrastructure link to Southern Canada, providing clean, renewable power and fibre-optic internet capacity for the Kivalliq region for generations to come.
“Inuit leadership have worked hard to advance the KHFL as a project centered on economic reconciliation that will help address Nunavut’s infrastructure gap while being fully aligned with our country’s commitments on climate action,” says Kono Tattuinee, President of the Kivalliq Inuit Association. “Today’s acknowledgement from the Federal Government is a significant achievement for Inuit and Nunavummiut. The KHFL is poised to change the future of our people and our nation in profound ways.”
Federal Budget 2023 establishes an important pathway for major clean inter-tie transmission projects through, for example, the recapitalization funding for the Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program to support critical regional priorities and Indigenous-led projects, and add transmission projects to the program’s eligibility. Dedicated support will need to be allocated to the project in the coming months to deliver on this commitment, and others, and Nukik Corporation will be engaging with its federal partners to ensure tangible measures are taken.
“We are pleased to continue moving the KHFL forward as a critical nation-building project,” comments Anne-Raphaëlle Audouin, Chief Executive Officer of Nukik. “This project will make history by connecting the Territory for the very first time to the rest of the country. It is encouraging to see the collective recognition of the impact and significance of the KHFL and the inclusion of transmission inter-tie projects in important federal funding instruments.”
The acknowledgement in Budget 2023 builds on previous contributions from the Government of Canada. Nukik intends to advance towards construction planned for 2026 with the goal to commission and energize the line by the end of 2030.
