Fueling NWT’s Success

As the leading electricity supplier in the NWT, NTPC provides primary power to 29 of its 33 communities across 1.2 million square kilometres. We provide the energy that fuels living, working, and investing in the North.

Balancing the “energy trilemma” of sustainability, affordability, and reliability in the NWT is challenging. Unconnected to the North American grid, we must generate our power across a vast territory where some communities are only accessible by air, barge, or winter road. We do this through a mix of green and conventional energy sources. In a normal year, the energy mix consists of:

The North is at an Energy Crossroads

Hydroelectric

9 hydro plants on 2 unconnected systems: Snare/Bluefish and Taltson,
75% generation

Diesel

25 power plants in 26 communities; 17% generation

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

1 plant, 8% generation

Renewables

5 solar arrays,
1 wind turbine,
2 battery storage systems, approximately 2% generation

Independent Power Producers

4 solar arrays owned by independent power producers

The Time for Transformation

Energy costs in the NWT are among the highest in Canada, and our infrastructure is aging. Our communities are on the frontlines of climate change, with periods of extreme low water in the rivers that drive our hydroelectric dams creating additional challenges. Meanwhile, electricity sales are flat or declining, mirroring trends in our population and economy.

We are tackling these challenges by modernizing our systems, expanding clean energy sources, and supporting economic growth and innovation throughout the North.

Our Plan to 2040 

Working across our interconnected pillars of reliability, economic and environmental sustainability, and innovation, we are focused on:

Investing in core assets

Supporting the Taltson Expansion Project

Growing our industrial customer base

Developing Indigenous partnerships

Integrating renewable energy projects

Increasing our distribution customer base

Reducing fuel consumption

Understanding Rates: A Primer on Pricing

We know affordable, reliable power is essential to everyone across the NWT. That's why setting electricity rates is a careful, transparent process.

How We Set Electricity Rates

As the territorial utility, we must legally provide service to communities in the Northwest Territories that don't have a franchise agreement with another utility. We don’t set our rates – they’re reviewed and approved by the NWT Public Utilities Board (PUB), an independent regulator. The Public Utilities Act outlines the process for setting and collecting rates.

The Process is Public 

Every few years, we submit a General Rate Application (GRA) to the PUB. This public process involves community input, expert reviews, and careful questioning to ensure the final rates are fair and transparent. The PUB reviews all the evidence and decides what rates are reasonable, and based on real costs, including:

  • Day-to-day operations and fuel costs

  • Maintaining and upgrading our systems

  • Borrowing costs for big projects

  • A fair return to reinvest in future improvements

Rates FAQS:

  • Setting rates takes place through a General Rate Application (GRA) process. Here's what happens:

    1. NTPC prepares a detailed report explaining all our costs and forecasts.

    2. This report is submitted to the PUB.

    3. The PUB and other interested parties (Intervenors) ask questions, submit expert opinions, and challenge the details if needed.

    4. Public hearings are held to ensure that community voices are heard.

    5. The PUB reviews all the evidence and decides what rates are fair.

      A complete GRA process usually takes 1-2 years. 

    To view applications, reports and other documents, visit the Northwest Territories Public Utilities Board website.

  • Because our costs (like fuel prices) can change a lot from year to year, we use tools like stabilization funds and rate riders to smooth out fluctuations. That way, rates stay as steady and predictable as possible.

  • For 2024-26, NTPC filed a new GRA. Thanks to additional funding from the Government of the Northwest Territories, we’ve been able to lower the proposed rate increase from nearly 25% to approximately 15%, resulting in about $37 more per month for the average household.

  • Your bill covers the costs of providing electricity, including:

    • Day-to-day running of our power plants and power lines

    • Fuel (especially important in diesel communities)

    • Upgrades and repairs to big equipment

    • Borrowing costs for major projects

    • Future improvements

  • Any profit is reinvested back into the system to improve it. As a public utility, we do not have any private investors.

  • Because communities in the North rely on different types of power generation systems, the GNWT established three rate zones in 2010: the Snare Zone, the Taltson Zone, and the Thermal Zone. Each zone covers its costs as fairly as possible