Naalakkersuisoq for environment, nature, energy and research cannot yet state when the task of expanding the hydropower plant in Utoqqarmiut Kangerluarsunnguat (Buksefjorden) will be tendered again. That’s what naalakkersuisoq says to Sermitsiaq.
– Work is underway right now. I will not mention specific dates. We are of course aware of avoiding the same problems as those we have learned from in connection with the first tender, says Jørgen Rosbach (D).
Naalakkersuisoq for environment, nature, energy and research cannot yet state when the task of expanding the hydropower plant in Utoqqarmiut Kangerluarsunnguat (Buksefjorden) will be tendered again. That’s what naalakkersuisoq says to Sermitsiaq.
– Work is underway right now. I will not mention specific dates. We are of course aware of avoiding the same problems as those we have learned from in connection with the first tender, says Jørgen Rosbach (D).
The project has previously been put out to tender, but it was cancelled, the developer, the self-government-owned NunaGreen, announced on 24 March this year. The cancellation was due to the fact that there was only one tenderer who had submitted an offer to carry out the task, and the offer was deemed too expensive.
Naalakkersuisoq does not elaborate on what they have learned from the first tender, or what they have now learned. However, he hopes that there will be more bidders when the task comes out for tender again.
Water shortage
In the project in Utoqqarmiut Kangerluarsunnguat, a 16 kilometer long tunnel will be built, among other things. Through the tunnel, the lake that the power plant uses today must be filled up with water, as the power plant’s water supply is continuously decreasing.
– We use 80 gigawatt-hours more per year, so the water is running out, and if we are to think sustainably, we should prevent that, says Jørgen Rosbach.
It has previously been stated that the expansion in Utoqqarmiut Kangerluarsunnguat will cost around DKK 3 billion. This makes the expansion one of the most expensive construction projects in Greenland. However, since that assessment, construction prices have increased. Naalakkersuisoq does not want to comment on what the project is now estimated to cost, with reference to the upcoming tender. Naalakkersuisoq is reluctant to mention prices until an offer has been made.
The project in Kangersuneq will be the last
Inatsisartut decided in 2021, in connection with the decision to expand Utoqqarmiut Kangerluarsunnguat, that a new hydroelectric power plant must also be built in Kangersuneq between Aasiaat and Qasigiannguit.
According to naalakkersuisoq, the project can only begin when the work in Utoqqarmiut Kangerluarsunnguat is started. It is therefore still unknown when the project will begin and when tenders will be called.
– The situation is a bit difficult. It must be understood that after only one interested contractor for the work in Utoqqarmiut Kangerluarsunnguat, far too high prices have been put on the table. Therefore, that project (the project in Kangersuneq, ed.) cannot be started for the time being, says Jørgen Rosbach.
This means that the project in Utoqqarmiut Kangerluarsunnguat must first be started, and only then can construction between Aasiaat and Qasigiannguit begin.
The report on the project, i.e. on the consequences for the environment, was already in consultation last spring. It is expected that the project will take almost four years to build. A 38 kilometer long power line must be established so that the hydropower can reach Qasigiannguit, and a 117 kilometer long power line towards Aasiaat.
There are also plans to set up 420 masts. In addition, roads must be built in the area, a tunnel built and buildings erected in the two cities.
Wants the opportunity to borrow up to DKK 800 million
It appears from the financial bill for next year that Naalakkersuisut wants to be authorized to borrow up to DKK 800 million for the projects in question. Naalakkersuisoq says it is not directly related to the hydroelectric plants in question.
If the projects are implemented, Nukissiorfiit in Nuuk, Aasiaat and Qasigiannguit will also have to adapt the infrastructure, and Jørgen Rosbach says that they want to ensure the possibility if it becomes necessary to take out loans for this.
– When the construction starts, there will be a need to upgrade the facilities in the cities, and the money is intended for upgrades in these cities, says naalakkersuisoq.
Naalakkersuisoq expects that in the cities in question, for example, there will be a need to replace cables, electrical installations or technical facilities. If loans are taken out, they must be repaid over 30 years. Naalakkersuisoq emphasizes that it will only be clarified whether a loan is to be taken out once a contractor has been found.
