Iqaluit (Feb 19/03) - Axel Have has shocking news for Kivalliq: there's a good reason the region could be the power baron of Nunavut.

South of Arviat is an area that looks, map-wise, like the Texas Panhandle turned upside down.

And like the famous oil fields of Texas, this corner of Nunavut could be a plentiful source of energy.

Call it "liquid gold": hydro electric power.

It's there. A 20-year-old federal study liked the idea of tapping into the area's potential.

Nunavut and the Manitoba government are on the verge of dusting off that survey to see how it can be made real.

What the two governments need is $4.5 million from the federal government for a new study that would take a good close look at sites for hydroelectric projects that could generate 80-90 megawatts of power.

There's already a Winnipeg company lined up to conduct the study.

All of Nunavut currently has a total load of 25 megawatts, says Have, who is vice-president operations and chief engineer for Nunavut Power.

The original idea was to tap into Manitoba's power grid at Churchill, sending electricity up to Arviat and Rankin Inlet. But that thinking has changed.

If the potential is what it seems, why not send electricity the other way: create a link of hydro generating sites that sell power into Manitoba and beyond? Indeed, Have says there are eight potential sites in the southernmost area, immediately north of the Manitoba border.

Powering up the mining industry

It's an extremely costly business, Have says, but there's another switch to turn on that makes building hydro projects in the south Kivalliq more attractive: mining.

"There are a lot of potential mines in there," Have says of the same area that offer likely hydro sites.

Their problem is balancing the revenue from digging up mineral wealth, against the cost to power the equipment to dig up those riches.

"If we can offer them a stable and reasonable energy source these mine sites would be feasible," Have says.

From there the Kivalliq region -- and the Churchill region of Manitoba -- could see a domino effect of energy projects bringing jobs, that bring mines that bring more jobs.

"Manitoba's role would be as the transportation gateway, and ours is to sell them hydro power," Have says.

If everything proceeds from the study, it will take up to 10 years and $500 million before the any hydro wires get zapping.

"But when you build it, it's there for 100 years," Have says of the longer term prospect of eventual hydro revenues for Nunavut.

There's also the natural world to think of.

"Because of the remoteness, these things are never easy. This is sort of the last real wilderness of Canada," Have says.