Reliable hydro power, strengthened for the North
Taltson under retrofit, February 2026
Inside the complex work that returned Taltson to service and positioned the system for the future
By Cory Strang, March 13, 2026
After months of intensive work in challenging conditions, the Taltson Hydro facility is back online and once again delivering clean, reliable power to South Slave communities. (announced today)
Clean hydro power is once again flowing to South Slave communities…strengthened for decades to come.
The repair of the facility's 60-year-old surge tank represents successful completion of a complex infrastructure project and is a testament to what northern collaboration and technical expertise can accomplish together.
Most importantly, for Fort Smith, Fort Resolution, Hay River, Enterprise, and K'atł'odeeche First Nation, this means returning to clean hydro power after an extended period of diesel generation. And it means this critical facility can continue serving communities reliably for many decades to come.
The challenge
The surge tank is a vital component of any hydroelectric facility – it regulates pressure fluctuations and provides a water reserve that protects the system during operations. When non-destructive testing of the surge tank was carried out in August 2025, it found that previously-identified corrosion was more extensive than expected.
Running full‑time diesel generation isn't what these crews are used to
NTPC faced a critical decision. We could remediate the existing 60-year-old tank to restore it to full operational capability, or replace it entirely. A new tank on the existing site would take two years to complete at a preliminary estimated cost of $131 million in fuel and operational expenses during that time.
The choice was clear: remediate the existing tank to restore hydro service as quickly as possible. But executing that remediation work would require assembling specialized expertise, working in confined spaces with extreme precision, and co-ordinating a complex supply chain – all on a compressed timeline while facing northern winter conditions.
Our teams step up
Andrew Ellis, one of NTPC's project managers, led this complex work while spending months in the field co-ordinating contractors, managing quality control, and ensuring the project stayed on track. The technical demands were significant – confined space welding, non-destructive testing to verify every repair, engineering oversight at every phase, and winter resupply logistics for a facility normally accessible only by air.
While Andrew's team worked around the clock on the surge tank repairs, our diesel plant operators across South Slave communities were doing the same to keep the lights on.
Running full-time diesel generation isn't what these crews are used to – the South Slave normally relies on Taltson hydro for primary power. But our operators stepped up, working extended shifts and managing larger crew sizes to ensure reliable service throughout the extended outage.
For both the project team and the diesel plant operators, Taltson's return to service means more than just restored hydro power. In Andrew's words, it means the chance to “be home a bit more.” That's the reality of infrastructure work in the North – dedicated people working long hours, often away from home, to keep communities powered.
Northern partnerships deliver
Andrew assembled a team that brought together northern capacity and specialized expertise. Dimension Consulting of Hay River led the installation work – a significant demonstration of northern contractors' ability to manage complex infrastructure projects.
The team also included specialized contractors from across Western Canada: Crux Trades from Rossland, B.C., for precision welding work; Allied NDT from Calgary for non-destructive testing and inspection; and engineering firms including Gygax Engineering Associates, with whom NTPC has maintained a 20-year working relationship, along with SKC Engineering for welding engineering and Enflux Engineering for quality control.
What made this project particularly demanding was the confined space work inside the tank itself. Specialized scaffolding systems had to be designed and installed to allow welders and inspectors to access every area requiring repair. Each weld had to meet exacting standards, with multiple layers of inspection and testing to ensure the repairs would hold for years to come.
To minimize the time South Slave communities spent on diesel generation, the project operated continuously – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This isn't typical for NTPC capital work, but it reflected the urgency of restoring hydro service and our commitment to customers.
What matters most
The successful completion of this project restores reliable hydro service to South Slave communities and demonstrates NTPC's capacity to execute complex infrastructure work under challenging conditions.
Beyond restoring service to South Slave communities, this work strengthens the foundation of the facility as territorial and Indigenous partners explore potential expansion of Taltson's capacity to connect northern energy systems.
That's a decision for the future. Today's achievement is ensuring reliable hydro power continues flowing to the communities that depend on it.
Major infrastructure projects in the North face unique challenges – extreme weather, remote locations, limited access, and the need to minimize service disruptions while work proceeds.
Completing this work demonstrates not only resilience, but readiness – readiness to support the next phase of northern energy development as investment and opportunity continue to grow across the territory.
Clean hydro power is once again flowing to South Slave communities.
I'm grateful to Andrew and our entire operations team, to our diesel plant operators who kept communities powered throughout the shutdown, and to Dimension Consulting and our specialized contractors who brought their expertise north to get this work done.
Most importantly, I'm grateful to South Slave residents for their patience during the extended period when diesel generation was necessary.
Clean hydro power is once again flowing to South Slave communities. The infrastructure that enables that service has been strengthened for decades to come. Those are the outcomes that matter most.
Cory Strang is Chief Executive Officer of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation.