Electricity Rate Updates – Effective July 1, 2026

We want to help you understand recent updates to electricity rates approved by the Northwest Territories Public Utilities Board (PUB). These changes are interim refundable rates and will be reviewed again before final rates are set.

Why are rates changing?

Every few years, utilities review their costs through a process called a General Rate Application. This ensures rates reflect the actual cost of providing electricity, including maintaining equipment, cost of fuel and power, and delivering it to your home or business.

In the 2026–2028 GRA, the reasons for some of the rate changes include:

• Savings from operational efficiencies achieved through the amalgamation of Naka Power Utilities into a single company. At the same time, costs have changed due to system updates, fuel prices, and how costs are shared across rate zones and regions.

Because the full review is still underway, the PUB approved interim rate changes to take effect now, with adjustments later if needed.

What changes will I see on my bill?

Your bill may change due to three main updates:

1. Rider R (Interim rate adjustment)

This interim refundable adjustment helps recover the difference between current rates and the actual cost of providing service.

• Snare Zone: Small increase (about 2% overall revenue impact)
• Taltson Zone: Larger increase due to past under-recovery and cost adjustments
• Thermal Zone: Increase, partly driven by higher fuel costs (mainly diesel)

Overall estimated bill impacts:

• Around 11–12% increase for customers in hydro zones (Snare/Taltson)
• Around 17% increase for customers in thermal (diesel) communities

These are interim rates and may change once the full review is complete.

2. Rider A (Fuel cost adjustment)

This rider adjusts for differences between forecasted and actual fuel costs.

• In many cases, Rider A is currently a credit (negative charge)
• This means some customers will see a reduction on their bill from this component
• In the Taltson Zone, Rider A is being used to recover historical balances that have not yet been collected. In Thermal communities, it continues to reflect diesel fuel cost differences

What this means: You may see a small credit on your bill to return excess fuel costs collected in the past.

3. Rider F (Purchased power cost adjustment)

This reflects changes in the cost of electricity purchased from the Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC).

• Applies to Snare and Taltson zones
• Adjusts automatically as wholesale power costs change

What this means: If the cost of buying power increases, this charge increases. If the cost of buying power decreases, this charge decreases. 

Why are some increases higher in certain communities?

Costs vary depending on how electricity is generated:

• Hydro (Snare/Taltson): Generally more stable, but affected by system-wide cost adjustments
• Thermal (diesel): More impacted by fuel price changes, which can fluctuate significantly

The PUB also made adjustments to:

• Reduce sudden large increases where possible
• Spread some costs over time
• Review and limit certain cost increases until a full assessment is complete

These rate changes are not final, they are temporary measures put in place while the Public Utilities Board completes a full review, and the charges may be adjusted later with any over-collection refunded to customers.