The Northwest Territories Power Corporation says the Taltson hydro facility is back in service.

In a news release Friday, the corporation says the unit is supplying main electricity to Fort Smith, Fort Resolution and Hay River, and Naka Power customers in the South Slave.

The utility said in January that repairs on the 60-year-old surge tank, which had corrosion, were on schedule to be completed by the end of February with the hydro unit returning to service by the end of March. The surge tank is a reservoir that manages sudden changes in pressure and water flow.

The hydro facility had only been back online for a few months last year following a major overhaul project, when the surge tank problem was found.

The release says the cost to repair the tank was about $36 million.

Power corporation spokesman Doug Prendergast said the repair work was finished sooner than expected and that saved approximately $2 million in generation costs.

The company says while the final costs of the Taltson overhaul project are still being tallied, the overall bill is expected to be about $101.9 million, which includes fuel and other operational costs that helped keep electricity going while the hydro unit was shut down. That figure does not include the cost of the surge tank repair.

Friday’s news release says the federal government spent more than $17.8 million through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program on the overhaul project.

“Despite the extended shutdowns over the past several years, the investments made in the hydro unit and supporting infrastructure will ensure that South Slave communities and customers will have access to clean hydropower for decades to come,” says power corporation president Cory Strang in the news release. 

“At a time of fast-rising diesel prices, the return to hydro is extremely helpful in keeping generation costs as low as possible.”