Intertribal Life Newspaper -

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C.-In October, the Tŝilhqot'in Nation celebrated the Grand Opening of its solar farm, located 80 km west of Williams Lake. The 1.25-MW solar farm is the largest of its kind in British Columbia and is a hundred percent developed, built, owned and operated by the Tŝilhqot'in Nation.

The Tŝilhqot'in Solar Farm consists of 3,456 solar modules that will convert the sun's rays into electricity which will then be sent into the BC Hydro grid and generate economic profit for the Nation. With capacity to generate enough energy to power between 130 and 150 homes, it's small on a global scale but large for British Columbia.

The Tŝilhqot'in Solar Farm stands on 2 hectares of the Riverwest Sawmill brownfield awaiting the final connection to the power line that runs along Highway 20. Full operation will begin shortly with the solar farm generating about 1,500 megawatt hours of electricity per year during its 25-year expected lifetime

"The Tŝilhqot'in Nation continues to break new ground with our Solar Farm, which is the largest in British Columbia," says Joe Alphonse, Tribal Chair, Tŝilhqot'in National Government. "This is an important accomplishment for the Nation, and I'm proud that our people have been involved in all aspects of the project from the planning and development to the, now operation of the Solar Farm. Energy and electricity has been lacking out in the territory for a long time, despite one of the longest stretches of hydro in Canada, so we welcome the opportunity for business and to improve the well-being of our people. The Solar Farm is a huge economic win for our Nation and I believe our Nation is continuing to lead the way for indigenous people throughout Canada and around the world. I especially thank Chief Russ for providing leadership on the project and his commitment to see it through."

The farm has been five years in the making with challenges to overcome, including financing, authorization, training, harsh weather conditions and vandalism. However, the Nation has been dedicated to the project and the opportunity has now become a reality.

"This project is significant for our Nation because it involved all six Tŝilhqot'in communities in some way and is the first project to generate our own source of revenue for our Tŝilhqot'in organization and the community, which is significant for our overall goal of self-sufficiency." said Russell Myers Ross, Vice-Chair, Tŝilhqot'in National Government. "We are honored to be recognized by Clean Energy BC and to receive the Community of the Year Award."

Ross noted that besides self-sufficiency, members saw the project as a way to generate income in an area where the cost of living is extremely high.

Beyond creating local jobs and giving community members a sense of ownership over the solar farm, the fact that it is an Indigenous project also means it qualified for additional grants and funding.

Ultimately, about $2.3 million of the project's $2.6 million construction budget was covered, which means it will be generating profits in a much shorter time frame than initially expected, Ross said.

The Tsilhqot'in believe that it's the first solar farm of its size to be fully owned and operated by a First Nation. Ross notes that even the construction phase was almost entirely completed by members of the community.