The newly-formed Six Nations Energy Development LP and Calgary-based pipeliner Enbridge Inc. announced plans last week to develop a 200-megawatt wind energy project near Weyburn, in southeast Saskatchewan.
The Seven Stars Energy Project is slated to produce enough to electricity to power more than 100,000 homes for a year, The Canadian Press reports.
A wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Enbridge is to develop, construct, and operate the facility, expected to come online in 2027 should it meet regulatory and investment criteria.
“We’re co-investing alongside our Indigenous communities. These communities are near our current pipeline operations and with whom we’ve gradually strengthened relationships with over time,” Enbridge Executive VP Colin Gruending told media in Regina.
Six Nations Energy Development, a consortium of First Nations in southeast Saskatchewan along with Métis Nation-Saskatchewan, will be able to acquire at least a 30% stake in the project. A C$100-million loan guarantee from the Saskatchewan government’s Indigenous Investment Finance Corporation will help achieve that, Six Nations said.
“It’s very momentous for us, as Treaty 4 Nations, as Métis Nations,” said Chief Matthew Peigan of Pasqua First Nation.
“I credit Enbridge for kicking the door open, for allowing (this partnership) to grow,” he added. “I don’t like to call it building bridges, I like calling it fill in the gaps, because bridges crumble.”
The cost of the project has not been disclosed, but Peigan said it would be in the “hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Once the wind farm goes online, revenues will help fund housing, education, and health care for members of the First Nations and Métis Nations, Peigan said.
“At the end of the day, it’s not about you and I. It’s about the wrongs that were created yesterday and how we can plan today and how we can make tomorrow better.”
Enbridge is working on a long-term power purchase agreement with SaskPower, the province’s Crown utility company, before making a final investment decision on the project next year.
Jeremy Harrison, the provincial minister responsible for economic development, said it’s these kinds of partnerships that will form a template for future energy projects in Canada.
“We wanted to make sure we had a great project, and this is a great project that is going to be deeply successful and deeply impactful for all the partners involved,” Harrison said.
Peigan said he hopes the federal government sees what’s possible when industry and First Nations work together, citing Ottawa’s recently-announced, $5-billion loan guarantee program for Indigenous communities.
“I say show me the cash,” the chief said with a chuckle.
“That’s the intent: to proceed to the federal government and look for that partnership.”
Gruending said a generational opportunity awaits should Ottawa’s program look like Saskatchewan’s.
“Industry is ready to lead the way, and from what we can see, Indigenous partners are ready to join,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2024.
