Territory needs to start getting serious about solar power: former MP

Territory needs to start getting serious about solar power: former MP

Published 2:52 pm Thursday, September 17, 2026

A former MP for the NWT says that the territorial government should be putting solar systems and batteries into every community in the North.

A report released earlier this month by the federal government titled Canada’s Changing Climate Report 2026 claims the North could warm up to 10 degrees by 2050 if something is not done to slow the impact of climate change. The report states that Canada has warmed nearly twice as fast as the global average, and the Canadian Arctic has warmed three times as fast.

Dennis Bevington argues that the territorial government is dragging its feet on implementing adaptive strategies, choosing instead to stick with diesel.

Bevington, who owns Stand Alone Energy Systems Ltd. in Fort Smith, says that if Diavik Diamond Mine can implement a 4.5 megawatt battery which would store solar power to provide for the mine’s energy needs and pay for itself within five years, the NWT could move just as fast.

instead, he said, the territorial government is choosing to stick with and upgrade an inefficient system which just throws good money after bad.

“The only thing saving us now is the frozen winter temperatures which retain ice and snow for six months of the year,” he said.

Caroline Wawzonek, Minister responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy and Supply Chains, recently said that clean energy initiatives cannot drive up energy costs for Northerners who already face a high cost of living. She previously stated that the territory must support renewable growth while protecting utility rates and has called to upgrade the diesel system already in place.

She argues that the North has some of the oldest and most scarce infrastructure in the country despite accounting for 40 per cent of the country’s landmass and that moving away from diesel requires significant investments in transportation and grid connectivity.

However, Bevington said it is misguided to potentially spend billions to upgrade a system which could become obsolete quickly and which will continue to harm the environment.

He said if Diavik can move quickly to install a new system, why can’t the territorial government and NWT Power Corporation move just as quick?

Bevington noted that the Taltson expansion will also cost billions of dollars with financing expected to come from the federal government.

He said if the expansion moves to an environmental review, his company will intervene, arguing that other more efficient ways to meet Northern energy needs are available.

“We could put solar up a lot quicker using batteries which would take 12 months, not 10 years,” he said, which is how long he claims it would take to complete the Taltson expansion. “We need to make a decision that we are going to put batteries into every community and storage units and set a time frame for it to happen – we need to get at it.”