Energy

NWT population fell from 46,031 to 45,904 between July 2025 and July 2026, the only Canadian jurisdiction to see a yearly decline. The dip was driven largely by interprovincial migration, with 933 residents leaving versus 548 entering. The territory now has a larger senior population, up to 17.8%.

Greenland Mines applied on Sept. 21 to double its Sarfartoq rare‑earth mine to supply magnet metals for electric‑vehicle and defense uses, following a U.S. security agreement with Greenland and Denmark.

Agnico Eagle Mines finished construction on Pistol Bay Falls in summer 2026, modifying natural barriers to give Arctic char better access to upstream spawning and overwintering habitat near Rankin Inlet, with a ten‑year monitoring plan.

Arctic sea ice is rising again after hitting its yearly minimum, while shipping on Russia’s Northern Sea Route has surged to a record high of more than 50 vessels—including over 30 tankers—highlighting Russia’s intent to boost Arctic cargo throughput amid a new EU ban that will redirect LNG exports eastward.

Sandia’s 4‑kW solar array at Oliktok on Alaska’s North Slope shows that multidirectional, bifacial photovoltaics can reliably support remote communities and research operations during the region’s extreme winter and high‑latitude summer conditions.

Russia’s aging nuclear icebreakers and sanctions‑driven delays threaten the reliability of the Northern Sea Route and its Arctic oil and LNG exports.

A fire at Yakutia’s Nerungri GRES on Sept. 22 stopped the plant’s operations the next day, leaving some residents without heating while officials work to restore power.

George Donart argues that Alaska’s rapid warming and permafrost thaw are damaging roads, runways, buildings and fisheries, and that practical leadership is required to address infrastructure strain, energy reliability, and community resilience.

A speculative map layers Arctic ice retreat, territorial claims, shipping, extraction, and wildlife migration to illustrate entangled Arctic change.

A study demonstrates how photovoltaic module performance varies with latitude, showing that continuous summer daylight in the High Arctic could support significant solar electricity production.

Fortune Minerals secured a renewed water licence and land use permit for its NICO critical‑minerals mine in the Northwest Territories, following approval by the NWT Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the Wek’èezhìı Land and Water Board. The permits set conditions for construction, operation, security, and reclamation, positioning the project to provide a domestic supply of cobalt, bismuth, copper and gold.

Crude from the new Pikka Phase 1 field crossed more than 100 miles of fresh pipeline to the Trans‑Alaska Pipeline System in May 2026, marking the field's first production and a key boost to Arctic oil output.

Norwegian energy companies will continue Arctic oil and gas exploration despite reports the EU is upholding its 2021 moratorium, according to Offshore Norway.

A report finds new gas from the Norwegian Arctic unlikely to arrive in Europe before 2045, when EU fossil gas demand is expected to decline.

Japan, the US and South Korea are preparing a memorandum on Arctic maritime cooperation and expanded energy supplies, a move that China experts warn could heighten geopolitical and security competition in the region.

A scoping review examines energy-security challenges and climate resilience of Alaska’s coastal Arctic communities, noting dependence on fossil fuels, high costs, and vulnerable supply chains.

China is preparing a second LNG terminal in Longkou to receive sanctioned Arctic Russian LNG, following the first terminal in Beihai that has already taken 41 cargoes of roughly 2.6 million tons, amid U.S. sanctions that halted Arctic LNG 2 production twice.