11 power outages and counting in Whatì, N.W.T., since start of 2024

The community of Whatì, N.W.T., has been dealing with repeated power outages due to aging infrastructure and a growing community. 

As of Monday, the community had experienced 11 power outages in 2024 alone, and a total of 35 since last April. The Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC) has the community listed as a level 1 emergency.

"It doesn't mean it's an emergency situation. But what it does is keeps everyone even more ready than than normal in terms of, you know, keeping an eye on what's happening in Whatì," said Doug Prendergast, the manager of communications for NTPC.

One of the most recent outages occurred on Sunday and was caused by an issue with the fuel pump that moves the diesel, Prendergast said.

The exact cause of each outage has differed but it's largely connected to aging infrastructure, both on the generation and distribution side, Prendergast said. 

Aging equipment is an issue in many communities, he added, but what makes Whatì unique is that the power usage there is increasing, whereas in many other communities it is decreasing.  

According to the N.W.T. Bureau of Statistics, the population of the community has grown from around 500 in 2018 to 553 in 2022, a 10 per cent increase. 

"It's great … there seems to be growth happening in Whatì, but it does present us with some challenges," Prendergast said. 

The recent growth and higher electricity use came as the community became accessible by road year-round with the opening of the Tłı̨chǫ Highway in 2021, he said. 

"There's new housing, there's a number of developments happening," he said. 

The repeated outages have led to frustration for several Whatì residents, including Stephen Legge, who sent CBC News a copy of two bills he's received from NTPC for power usage this past winter. One totalled $600, while the other was over $700.

Legge said he doesn't think residents should be charged full price for a power supply that isn't working at full capacity. 

But Prendergast said offering a discount or a subsidy for the outages isn't within NTPC's terms and conditions of service with customers. He said they are responding to the issues as they arise and have brought some new equipment into the community to try to prevent further outages. 

"We recognize the inconvenience, the frustration that residents in Whatì are feeling and we're definitely working our hardest to to identify problems and get them resolved as quickly as possible," Prendergast said.