How bundling power can help remote Arctic communities transition to clean energy

By teaming up and diversifying energy sources, far-flung villages can attract crucial investment.

The predominantly Inuit town of Kugaaruk, Nunavut in Canada’s far North pays more than a dollar per kWh for electricity — nearly ten times the cost of power in southern Canada. Like many of its remote neighbors in the Arctic, Kugaaruk’s steep power prices come from its need to import diesel. Given the off-grid nature of these communities, this diesel is generally shipped in or brought in by air — both of which are expensive forms of transport, compared to the pipelines that serve most major populations centers. Burning diesel also releases black carbon, a local air pollutant and powerful agent of climate change.