Indigenous owned wind and solar power projects coming to southern Sask.

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Two new wind and solar facilities have been announced for south-central Saskatchewan and SaskPower has revealed the selected partners who will develop, own and operate the plants.

The selections are Potentia Renewables Inc., and their partners the Meadow Lake Tribal Council as well as Mistawasis Nehiyawak First Nation.

“To make power from wind. To make power from the sun, what Creator has made it’s a no brainer,” said Jeremy Norman, the Chief of Flying Dust First Nation.

Norman added, that the projects are also one step closer to self sufficiency for the Nations involved.

The 200-megawatt Rose Valley Project will be located east of Assiniboia and will be made up of 28 wind turbines.

The 100-megawatt Southern Springs Solar Project will be located south of Coronach. It will be made up of 230,000 solar panels.

Both are scheduled to be in operation by late 2027.

During the Golden South Wind Project near Assiniboia, roughly 40 per cent of the working crew was from Saskatchewan and there are plans to hire more local workers for the new projects.

“It’s better to hire local. That’s something we fully intend to do. I think we can do better than 40 per cent,” Ben Greenhouse, the executive director of Potentia Renewables Inc. said.

Both Indigenous partners will own 51 per cent of the projects, the largest Indigenous ownership to date for a project this size in Saskatchewan.

All power generated will be purchased by SaskPower for over the next 20 years.

SaskPower Awards Wind Project and Solar Project in South-Central Saskatchewan

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SaskPower has selected two partnerships formed by Potentia Renewables Inc., and its Indigenous partners, Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC) and Mistawasis Nêhiyawak First Nation, to develop, own, and operate a new wind and a new solar facility in south-central Saskatchewan.

The 200-MW Rose Valley Wind Project will be located east of Assiniboia and operate under a 30-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with SaskPower, while the 100-MW Southern Springs Solar Project will be located south of Coronach and operate under a 25-year PPA.

M-Squared (M2) Renewables, a partnership between MLTC and Mistawasis Nêhiyawak First Nation will own 51 per cent of each project, the largest Indigenous ownership to date for projects of this size in the province.

“With these projects, our government and SaskPower are continuing to advance economic reconciliation and build on our strong relationships with Saskatchewan’s Indigenous communities,” said Jeremy Harrison, Minister Responsible for SaskPower. “Local and Indigenous participation in major projects will continue to deliver economic growth and opportunity for years to come.”

“SaskPower is using every tool at our disposal to maintain affordability and reliability for our customers,” said Rupen Pandya, SaskPower President and CEO. “Southern Springs Solar and Rose Valley Wind will not create emissions while generating, and together, they will provide the equivalent power for roughly 125,000 Saskatchewan homes.”

“Finalizing the PPAs for the Rose Valley Wind and Southern Springs Solar projects marks an exciting milestone for Potentia Renewables,” said Ben Greenhouse, CEO of Potentia Renewables Inc. “These initiatives not only build on the success of our Golden South Wind Facility but also reaffirm our long-term commitment to Saskatchewan’s energy future. We’re especially proud to be partnering with the Meadow Lake Tribal Council and Mistawasis First Nation—partnerships that embody our commitment to shared economic prosperity. As we expand our footprint in the province, we’re driven by a vision that delivers lasting impact, economic opportunity, and meaningful community collaboration.”

“MLTC is very proud as majority owner through M2 Renewables, to participate in two utility-scale renewable projects,” said MLTC Tribal Chief Jeremy Norman. “These two projects will bring 200 MW of wind and 100 MW of solar energy to power homes, schools and businesses in our province. For the nine nations of MLTC, we value the opportunity to participate in the provincial economy and continue to develop economic prospect on behalf of our membership. As a partner with Potentia Renewables and SaskPower, we are building Saskatchewan’s power future while advancing economic reconciliation and self-determination for Indigenous peoples.”

“It is with great honor we congratulate SaskPower, Potentia, MLTC Nations, and Misty Ventures on building this positive relationship through a successful procurement process on these renewable energy projects,” said Mistawasis Nêhiyawak First Nation Chief Daryl Watson. “Truth and Reconciliation can occur as we continue to show progress and teamwork.”

Once both facilities are in operation in late 2027, SaskPower will have a total of 1,217 MW of wind and 318 MW of solar generation capacity.

For more information, please visit Rose Valley Wind Project and Southern Springs Solar Project.

At a glance…

  • SaskPower has awarded a wind and a solar project for south-central Saskatchewan
  • 200-MW Rose Valley Wind and 100-MW Southern Springs Solar will be built, owned and operated by Potentia Renewables, MLTC and Mistawasis Nêhiyawak First Nation

2025 NorSask Forest Products Profile

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Download PDF Link

SEDA Chairperson’s Award to the Meadow Lake Tribal Council’s – MLTC Bioenergy Centre

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The Meadow Lake Tribal Council Bioenergy Centre is an entirely Indigenous-owned state-of-the-art cogeneration facility generating carbon-neutral green power. Plant revenues will also support essential programs and services for the Tribal Council’s nine member First Nations.

Learn more at seda.ca

How Indigenous participation in forest management is changing resource development in Canada

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The symbiotic relationship between the forestry sector and Indigenous peoples has grown to be recognized as a fundamental part of growth and sustainability for all parties involved.

There has been a concerted shift in the way Indigenous peoples engage in resource development in Canada. Despite a long history of exclusion, there is now recognition of the unique and vital role Indigenous stewardship plays in managing the land, and of forests in particular. Many First Nations and Métis communities hold generations of forestry knowledge, giving them a deep understanding of how forests evolve and how they can be managed in a way that is both environmentally and economically sustainable.

“Indigenous peoples are fundamentally peoples of place,” says Paul Robitaille, senior advisor of Indigenous relations for the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. “Their languages, cultures, laws, governance structures, ways of knowing and being—they are all born from their place in the world. And in many regions, those places are forests. So Indigenous peoples are often a reflection of the forest and the land, and you really can’t separate the two.”

Continue reading at Macleans.ca

MLTC Communities & Economic Development 2022

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A new Muhlbock continuous kiln is being installed at NorSask Forest Products. Photo courtesy MLTC.

Sustainable drying: NorSask’s new continuous kiln to run off sawmill residuals

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In the past few years, Saskatchewan’s forestry and bioenergy industries have seen a big boost, with multiple new investments announced and projects underway. One such project is the Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC)’s new Bioenergy Centre in Meadow Lake, Sask., which is currently under construction.

The Bioenergy Centre will use residual wood waste from nearby NorSask Forest Products (also owned by the MLTC), to provide enough electricity to power 5,000 homes in the community. As part of that project, a new Muhlbock six-zone Progressive Flo 1306 PRO continuous kiln is being installed, which will run off of the energy produced in the Bioenergy Centre.

Continue reading at woodbusiness.ca:

Sustainable drying: NorSask’s new continuous kiln to run off sawmill residuals

MLTC Bioenergy Spotlight on Sask Business Minute

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Meadow Lake Tribal Council is building a biomass power generation plant at their NorSask sawmill in Meadow Lake. To be completed in January 2022, the plant will convert wood waste into renewable energy and help to create jobs and economic growth for MLTC members and northern Saskatchewan.

Bioenergy centre on schedule

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The Meadow Lake Tribal Council Bioenergy Centre is 12 months away from being fully functional, and those behind the project couldn’t be more pleased with the progress made on the facility thus far.

“Everything is going well and we’re completely on schedule,” noted Al Balisky, president of Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC) Industrial Investments, the company that oversees NorSask Forest Products where the bioenergy centre is being constructed.

The MLTC Bioenergy Centre will generate carbon-neutral green power using sawmill biomass residuals. It will be the first plant of its kind in Saskatchewan and is expected to produce 6.6 megawatts of baseload electricity to power approximately 5,000 homes with greener energy. Shovels hit the ground at the site April 27 and, since then, work has been fast and furious.

On July 13, the thermal oil plant foundation was completed, while Aug. 26 and 27 saw the mobilization of a 330-ton crane completed by Sterling Crane out of Saskatoon. As of Aug. 31, 141 days had gone by with zero injuries and no lost time incidents.

“We are well into September and construction is getting busier and busier as we approach the colder months,” added project coordinator Brandon Hansen. “RobWel Constructors LP, a Clearwater River Dene Nation company, has been awarded contracts for the pre-engineered building for the Turboden ORC electricity generator and a contract to complete the thermal oil plant structural and mechanical installation services, which are both well underway right now. Robwel, with the assistance of Sterling Crane, have mobilized a 330-ton crane in the centre of the construction site that can be seen in the distance from the City of Meadow Lake. The crane is expected to be in full force until the end of 2020.”

Hansen went on to state One Five Construction alongside FDB Gravel have also been very active on the MLTC Bioenergy Centre’s construction throughout the summer months.

“These two companies have been working close together completing the majority of the earthworks, preparation for foundations as well as the required environmental remediation work for the bioenergy facility,” he added. “As for employment, there has been great representation from multiple Indigenous-owned companies and contractors who have helped throughout the project build. As of Aug. 31, 38 per cent of the hours recorded on-site have been fulfilled by self-identified Indigenous employees. As well, 18 per cent of total hours have been fulfilled by female employees and contractors.”

In the meantime, the MLTC Bioenergy Centre has a website updated daily anyone can access to follow along with the current status of the build. The site can be found at https://mltcbioenergy.ca/. The project’s progress can also be tracked on Facebook by following MLTC Bioenergy Centre.

The project is expected to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by more than one million tons over 25 years, and reduce smoke and other harmful matter to significantly improve air quality for residents. Revenues from the plant will also support essential programs and services including child and family services, education, and health and youth development for the nine-member First Nations comprising the Meadow Lake Tribal Council.

The Government of Canada is contributing $52.5 million of the $75 million cost of the total project through the Green Infrastructure Stream of the Canada-Saskatchewan Integrated Bilateral Agreement under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.

“We are all very excited with where things are headed, and quite pleased with the fact everything is on schedule,” Balisky remarked. “We should be nearing completion in about a year’s time and the centre should be fully functional by November or December of 2021.”

by Phil Ambroziak at pride.news@sasktel.net

Indigenous community innovation bringing clean-energy to Saskatchewan

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Investing in infrastructure that promotes clean energy solutions is key to creating a strong low-carbon economy and sustainable future for Canadians.

Today, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, on behalf of the Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and the Honourable Jeremy Harrison, Saskatchewan Minister of Trade and Export Development and MLA for Meadow Lake, announced funding for a major green energy project in Meadow Lake.

The First Nations-owned Meadow Lake Tribal Council Bioenergy Centre will generate carbon-neutral green power using sawmill biomass residuals. It will be the first plant of its kind in Saskatchewan and is expected to produce 6.6 megawatts of baseload electricity to power approximately 5,000 homes with greener energy.

Read More at Saskatchewan.ca