Overall, biomass district heating systems have been received quite well in various locations around the NWT, including many installations in the City of Yellowknife as well as in regional centres such as Norman Wells, Ft. Simpson, & Hay River. The majority of these district heating systems have been led by the GNWT and City of Yellowknife.
A handful of smaller district heating systems have been sought directly by community governments such as the Ka’a’gee Tu First Nation (Kakisa) – not yet commissioned & hugely delayed by challenges with getting the installation contractor on-site to complete the work at each stage of this project, the Native Communications Society co-operative biomass district heating system (in Yellowknife).
Resistance to these biomass district heating systems has not focused on air quality, various challenges such as securing the necessary understanding of these new technologies, the funds & expertise to manage such installations, and the need for dedicated contractors to competently install these systems AND fro the community to be able to access appropriate maintenance and repair contractors if & when the systems fail and need appropriately trained service experts to deal with the matter.
