Enbridge, Six Nations Energy Development plan Saskatchewan wind project

This article was written by Jeremy Simes and was published in the Globe & Mail on June 25, 2024.

Enbridge Inc. and Six Nations Energy Development LP announced plans Monday to develop a massive wind-energy project in southeast Saskatchewan.

The Seven Stars Energy Project, located near Weyburn, is slated to produce 200 megawatts of clean electricity, enough to fuel more than 100,000 homes for a year.

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,” Colin Gruending, an executive vice-president at Enbridge.

Six Nations Energy Development, a consortium of First Nations in southeast Saskatchewan along with Métis NationSaskatchewan, have an opportunity to acquire at least a 30per-cent stake in the project. A $100-million loan guarantee from the Saskatchewan government’s Indigenous Investment Finance Corp. will help achieve that, Six Nations says.

“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.”

Project costs have not been disclosed, but Mr. Peigan said during the conference that it would be in the “hundreds of millions of dollars.” Once complete, revenues from the project will help fund housing, education and health care for members of the First Nations and Métis Nations, Mr. Peigan said.

Enbridge is working on a long-term power purchase agreement with SaskPower, the province’s Crown utility company, before making final investment decisions 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,” Mr. Harrison said.

Mr. Peigan said he hopes the federal government sees what’s possible when industry and First Nations work together.

Mr. 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.

Author: Ray Nakano

Ray is a retired, third generation Japanese Canadian born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario. He resides in Toronto where he worked for the Ontario Government for 28 years. Ray was ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh in 2011 and practises in the Plum Village tradition, supporting sanghas in their mindfulness practice. Ray is very concerned about our climate crisis. He has been actively involved with the ClimateFast group (https://climatefast.ca) for the past 5 years. He works to bring awareness of our climate crisis to others and motivate them to take action. He has created the myclimatechange.home.blog website, for tracking climate-related news articles, reports, and organizations. He has created mobilizecanada.ca to focus on what you can do to address the climate crisis. He is always looking for opportunities to reach out to communities, politicians, and governments to communicate about our climate crisis and what we need to do. He says: “Our world is in dire straits. We have to bend the curve on our heat-trapping pollutants in the next few years if we hope to avoid the most serious impacts of human-caused global warming. Doing nothing is not an option. We must do everything we can to create a livable future for our children, our grandchildren, and all future generations.”