The Canada Energy Regulator’s Commission has given the green light to the Inuvialuit Energy Security Project (IESP) Energy Centre, imposing 20 stipulations on its approval. This initiative aims to transform natural gas into compressed natural gas, propane, and synthetic diesel for use in power generation and heating. The IESP Energy Centre is set to provide the Inuvialuit Settlement Region with a steady supply of energy, lessening its reliance on fuels transported from southern Canada via truck or barge.
This endorsement marks the last in a series of three permissions granted by the Commission for the project’s construction and operational phases. The first two approvals, concerning preliminary site work and specific well-workover procedures at the TUK M-18 well, were issued on June 28, 2023.
The Commission considered expressions of support for the project’s benefits from Indigenous Peoples and organizations that include:
- replacement of imported diesel with a locally produced and reliable energy source;
- employment/economic self-sufficiency and self-determination opportunities;
- positive impact on their rights and interests due to the focus of the project on enhancing energy security and reducing energy costs; and
- reducing the environmental footprint of the current energy infrastructure in the region.
Input from elders, harvesters, youth, local leaders, community members, and co-management bodies helped to shape IESP’s mitigation and management plans and engineering approaches.
Throughout the regulatory process, the CER focused on protecting the North’s unique and sensitive environment including permafrost, wildlife and species at risk. The Commission imposed specific conditions to mitigate and monitor potential impacts including:
- preventing permafrost melt,
- monitoring noise to protect humans and wildlife, and
- implementing a seven-year post-construction environmental monitoring program to account for slower vegetation growth rates in the North.
The Commission included additional conditions focusing on environmental protection, safety, emergency response, and operational readiness.
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