(Photo: SaskPower website)
The Government of Canada plans to provide Saskatchewan with over $265 million in funding for several renewable power projects as well as the modernization and upgrading of the province’s electrical grid.
Through the federal government’s Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program, over 12 million will go towards the following Indigenous-led renewable power projects.
- Over $2.7 million for the 1.4-megawatt Cosette Solar Project in Estevan, owned in part by White Bear First Nations
- Nearly $2.7 million for the one-megawatt NM Solar Project in Lomond No. 37, owned in part by White Bear First Nations
- $2 million for the 100-megawatt Prairie Coast Solar Project in Lajord
- Over $1.8 million for the one-megawatt Kiyam Solar Project near Gladmar, partly owned by Mistawasis Nêhiyawak First Nation
- Over $1.8 million for the one-megawatt Iskotew Solar Project near Alsask, partly owned by Mistawasis Nêhiyawak First Nation.
- Over $1.3 million for the 500-kilowatt AC La Plonge Solar Project with English River First Nation
“We’ve done a number of projects, both in Saskatchewan and elsewhere, where Indigenous communities are either the full owners or partial owners of a lot of these projects. It’s part of trying to ensure that we’re creating jobs and economic opportunities for Indigenous communities,” stated Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson while speaking with MBC Radio News. “It’s also important because Indigenous communities tell me often that they want to be part of the transition to a low-carbon future, and renewable energy technologies are clearly part of that.”
The federal government stated that once those solar projects are finished, they would provide enough electricity to power roughly 20,000 homes in the province every year.
SaskPower is also set to be transferred over $256.7 million through the government of Canada’s Future Electricity Fund for a range of clean power projects. Through the fund, Indigenous clean energy projects will receive $42 million.
“There are some things, in rural areas around upgrading rural power lines, but a lot of it is focused on things like energy efficiency, and that can be household energy efficiency; it also can be grid-related energy efficiency, and there are a number of elements of the program that are focused on northern First Nations’,” said Minister Wilkinson.
Included in the list of funded projects, over $20 million will go towards retrofitting northern First Nations’ homes and new on-reserve buildings to help achieve higher cost-saving energy efficiency performance standards.
Another $5 million will go towards developing power generation in northern and remote communities as well as replacing old distribution infrastructure.
Roughly $70 million is being allocated for over 6,000 km of critical rural power line reliability upgrades, including replacement of aging installations and system upgrades.
Nearly $14 million will be allocated to add 400 megawatts of wind power and 300 megawatts of solar generation in south-central Saskatchewan by 2027. So far, a portion of the funding has gone towards supporting the implementation of a 200-megawatt wind facility project partnership between Innagreen Investments and Awasis Nehiyawewini Energy Development Limited and a 100-megawatt solar project partnership between Iyuhána Solar LP and Ocean Man First Nation.
Funding will also go towards training more Indigenous power line technicians in the province through the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies.
“We are going to have a need for folks to both build these things and also to maintain them. I think one of the real opportunities in Saskatchewan is to ensure that we’re engaging Indigenous youth in this conversation to try to ensure that we are creating jobs and economic opportunities, and I think that’s exactly what this is intended to do. And, and it goes hand in hand with the idea that Indigenous communities are also, in many cases, going to be owners or partial owners of many of these facilities,” explained Minister Wilkinson.
Past investments made by the government of Canada to Saskatchewan include over $75 million in Indigenous-led clean power projects with the Ochapowace Nation, Lac La Ronge Indian Band, Star Blanket Cree Nation, Cowessess First Nation, the nine First Nations of the Meadow Lake Tribal Council, and the First Nations Power Authority of Saskatchewan.