2022-2025 Energy Action Plan
Released in 2018, the 2030 Energy Strategy sets out the Government of the Northwest Territories’ (GNWT) long-term approach to supporting secure, affordable and sustainable energy supply and use in the NWT. The strategy guides the development of affordable, reliable and sustainable energy for transportation, heat and electricity. This includes support for energy efficiency and conservation programs, renewable and alternative energy programs and large-scale energy projects.
The GNWT implements the Strategy through three-year Action Plans. This approach allows the GNWT to adapt and be flexible and take advantage of new technologies and opportunities as these emerge. The previous Energy Action Plan ended on March 31, 2022. The 2022-2025 Energy Action Plan was released in December of 2022 and builds on the actions and initiatives from the previous plan and describes what we plan to do over the next three years.
What’s in the 2022-2025 Energy Action Plan
The new three-year Action Plan supports the Strategy by setting out actions and initiatives that will help the GNWT and its partners achieve the six strategic objectives outlined in the Strategy. It includes grants and rebates for a variety of energy and GHG reduction projects, supports for communities and advances major energy projects.
The Action Plan includes 68 proposed actions and initiatives. The previous Action Plan had 44 actions and initiatives. The 24 additional actions and initiatives – combined with the existing ones in both plans – are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 51 kilotonnes by 2025.
Some transformational projects such as electric vehicle charging stations will deliver more emissions reductions after 2025 as Northerners adopt more electric vehicles and usage of charging stations increases. Long-term projects such as transmission lines will also deliver emissions reductions when commissioned after 2025. Some projects advanced under the 2030 Energy Strategy do not reduce emissions and are rather geared towards stabilizing the cost of energy or improving the reliability of energy systems in the NWT.
To develop the 2022-2025 Energy Action Plan, the GNWT reviewed the previous plan and looked for ways to improve on our success and address identified gaps. The GNWT also undertook a public engagement campaign to get ideas and feedback from NWT residents, Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations and stakeholder groups.
The 2022-2025 Energy Action Plan contains an initiative about the five-year review of the Energy Strategy, which the GNWT committed to when launching the Strategy. This review will take place in 2023-2024. The GNWT will be looking for input from NWT residents, Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations, businesses and stakeholders to inform this review.
You can read the 2022-2025 Energy Action Plan here.