Innavik Hydroelectric Project · Inukjuak, Nunavik

Powerin the North

How an Inuit community left diesel behind — and what it takes to build anything this far north.

An interactive data feature by Amy Luft, CTV News Montreal — in collaboration with Concordia University

58°27′N · 78°06′W · Hudson Bay Lowlands

Scroll
◄ ►
← Before: Diesel era
After: Innavik hydro →
← Drag the handle left or right to compare →
The diesel era For decades, Inukjuak ran entirely on diesel generators. Every litre of fuel had to be shipped across Hudson Bay during a narrow summer window — then burned to keep the lights and heat on through the Arctic winter. Annual emissions: ~17,400 tCO₂e.
The Innavik era The Innavik hydroelectric station now generates clean power from the Innavik River. Built over four years against extraordinary logistical odds, it will displace an estimated 700,000 tonnes of CO₂e over its 40-year lifespan — nearly 14 times its own construction footprint.
“We knew eventually that if someone was going to develop a hydro facility on our river, we wanted to be the ones to participate, develop and own the project.” Eric Atagotaaluk — Director, Pituvik Sarvaq Energie Inc.

01 — Distance & Context

How far is
Inukjuak?

There is no highway to Inukjuak. No train. It sits at the edge of Hudson Bay, accessible only by air — or briefly each summer, by sea. Click the buttons below to zoom in and explore the map — or jump straight to the distance view.

UNITED STATES CANADA MEXICO HUDSON BAY GREENLAND ATLANTIC PACIFIC 1,504 km TORONTO OTTAWA MONTREAL INUKJUAK
Inukjuak · Nunavik · 58°N

↓ Click a button to explore the map

Montreal45°30′N · 73°33′W · Quebec
1,504km as the crow flies
Inukjuak58°27′N · 78°06′W · Nunavik
≈ 15 hrsBy car — if there were a road
≈ 5.5 hrsBy Air Inuit commercial airline
≈ 1,504 kmAbout as far as driving Montreal to Thunder Bay
Inukjuak community
The Innavik River shoreline — Inukjuak, Nunavik

02 — Emissions Comparison

40 years of
smoke versus water

Use the timeline below to move through the 40-year lifespan year by year. The gap between the two lines is the carbon Innavik saves — the shaded green area shows cumulative emissions avoided.

Diesel baseline (cumulative)
Innavik lifecycle (cumulative)
Emissions avoided
← drag the slider →
20242034 20442054 2064
646,203 tCO₂e net emissions avoided 696,000 tCO₂e diesel 49,797 tCO₂e hydro
At full 40 years, Innavik’s total lifecycle footprint is 7% of what diesel would have emitted. The shaded area on the chart is carbon that stays out of the atmosphere.
At the selected year — that’s equivalent to…
🚗
140,479
Cars taken off
the road for a year
✈️
403,877
Montreal–Paris
return flights
🌲
734,322
Trees planted &
grown to maturity
🏠
451,890
Canadian homes
powered for a year
Sources: EPA greenhouse gas equivalencies calculator · avg. Canadian home electricity consumption · ICAO carbon estimator
“We want to be net-zero by 2030. And I think we’re off to a good start.” Tommy Palliser — President, Pituvik Landholding Corporation

03 — Shipping Windows

Four months.
One chance.

Every bolt, every cable, every litre of diesel — everything Inukjuak needs to survive must arrive in a single summer shipping window. Miss it, and you wait a year. Every community in Nunavik faces the same clock.

Open window (Jul–Sep)
Possible late window (Oct)
Frozen / inaccessible
4Months average
shipping season
3Ships per year
each community
0Deep-sea ports
in all of Nunavik

No deep-sea ports anywhere in Nunavik. Every community relies on a marina and barges during high tide to land cargo ashore. When storms roll in from Hudson Bay, everything waits. Sea ice is growing more mobile and unpredictable — making the shipping window more hazardous even as the calendar may suggest otherwise.

A canoe on the shore of Hudson Bay, Inukjuak
Hudson Bay, Inukjuak — every supply arrives by sea
“That sense of pride is powerful, especially for younger generations who can now look at this project and say, ‘That’s ours. That’s what powers our community, our village.’” Michel Letellier — Former President & CEO, Innergex

04 — Project Timeline

Nearly two decades
in the making

From a first conversation in 2005 to commercial power in 2024 — a community-led journey through referendums, redesigns, Arctic winters, and a 40-year power purchase agreement.

2005 – 2008 First conversations & pre-feasibility Lumos is brought on board to be the community’s clean energy advisor and to assess the potential of a hydro project. A community open meeting in April 2008 signals early support. Pre-feasibility studies confirm the river can support a generating station.
2010 The community votes March 22–25. Turnout: 71.6% of eligible voters. 83% voted yes. Just 32 ballots short of the formal quorum target — but the mandate was unmistakable. Inukjuak chose its energy future.
2011 – 2014 Structuring the partnership A P3 model takes shape. Early negotiations with Hydro-Quebec begin. Pituvik Landholding enters collaborative discussions with Innergex, formalizing a partnership agreement in 2015.
2016 – 2018 Redesign & financing The original design proves too costly. A major redesign significantly reduces construction costs. Pituvik–Innergex partnership finalized spring 2018. Financing locked in 2018–2019.
2019 Authorizations & agreements Quebec environmental authorization granted May 27. Environmental Impact Assessment signed August 23. Hydro-Quebec 40-year power purchase agreement signed. After 14 years, construction can begin.
2019 – 2023 Construction in the Arctic Four years of building across compressed summer shipping windows. Every tonne of concrete, every turbine component arriving by barge during the brief summer thaw. Workers endure Nunavik winters to keep the project moving.
2023 – 2024 Commissioning & commercial operation Commissioning completed 2023. Commercial Operation Date achieved 2024. The 40-year Power Purchase Agreement begins: 2024–2064. The diesel tanks fall quiet. Inukjuak’s heat and light run on water.
“Logically, we should have stopped somewhere before 2015. But the belief in each other, and the belief in what the project could be, is what kept us going.” Chris Henderson — Founding Executive Director, Indigenous Clean Energy
Aleashia Echalook looks out over the Nunavik tundra
Aleashia Echalook looks out over the tundra — Inukjuak, Nunavik
Hudson Bay, Nunavik — the water that powers it all