First Nations agency seeks role in beefing up interprovincial electricity grid
The federal government estimates building out a national grid would be an effort bigger than building the CPR
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A new B.C.-headquartered Indigenous organization aims to position First Nations at the forefront of transmission projects that strengthen interprovincial links in Canada’s electricity grid.
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The Indigenous Power Coalition has been working behind the scenes with First Nations for more than a year, but is ready to hit the ground running when the federal government releases a national renewable electricity strategy, which is expected later this year.
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A preliminary report from Natural Resources Canada estimated that building Canada’s grid to meet net-zero goals would take a doubling or tripling of investment by 2050.
That document estimated that doing so would be an effort that will “surpass the building of the national railway in the 19th century.”
The Indigenous Power Coalition’s objective is to “flip the conventional script” when it comes to First Nation involvement, said Cole Sayers, also known as Kwatuuma, executive director of the new agency.
Instead of just being consulted as Indigenous rights holders and negotiating benefit or equity agreements, Sayers hopes First Nations can take leadership roles in power projects as “authentic economic reconciliation.”
“We’re hopeful that Canada’s forthcoming electricity strategy will feature not only transmission, but interprovincial transmission,” Sayers said. “And the key piece we want to support is Indigenous leadership that’s going to help (provinces and utilities) de-risk and provide certainty on these projects.”
Sayers comes to his new position from being executive director of Clean Energy B.C., the key industry group for independent power producers in the province, which now has deep experience in partnerships with First Nations.
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Benefit deals and partnerships with First Nations have become key features among the 119 independent power producers generating electricity for B.C. Hydro. And in the utility’s latest call for power, nine of 10 projects that won contracts involved First Nations having majority ownership.
Now, Sayers said “B.C. First Nations have an opportunity to really raise the bar for the rest of Canada,” and he sees First Nations playing a unique role when it comes to building new power grid links between provinces.
“Our value proposition comes in two ways,” Sayers said. “One is convening the Nations around opportunities and creating space for coalition building.
“Two, is support decision making by bringing expertise about risks and benefits to the table, and that’s going to help with implementing free, prior and informed consent” of First Nations.
Electricity generation and transmission are provincial responsibilities and the vast distances of Canada’s geography has worked against building east-west connections.
That’s where Sayers sees First Nations playing a key role. He said that after a year of trade tensions with the U.S., there is more interest in building those links from the perspective of energy sovereignty.
“These systems have been independent, like little islands, whereas First Nations territories transcend these provincial borders,” Sayers said. “So they can actually be a bridge for this conversation and really help bring these utilities, grid operators, provinces to help focus on the long term.”
Sayers said the benefits from better interprovincial ties — improved reliability of transmission systems, affordability and economic opportunities — would accrue to everyone, not just First Nations.
Eight provinces, including B.C., and two territories, signed a memorandum of understanding on March 4 on building more cross-country infrastructure.
The coalition’s first focus will be on potential interconnections between B.C. and Alberta, where there are ties that make sense, said Blake Shaffer, an associate professor at the University of Calgary and consultant to the Indigenous Power Coalition.
“That is something that’s actively being worked on,” Shaffer said.
Alberta is exploring the potential for a connection between the province’s northwestern and northeastern B.C. And B.C. and the Yukon are also working toward a potential electricity tie.
Besides economic benefits for First Nations, Shaffer said they would be able to influence decisions by taking leadership roles, such as locating substations to deliver grid power to isolated communities.
“There’s obviously financial benefits from just being part of an infrastructure project like this that is not just 10 or 20 years,” Shaffer said. “These are 100-year assets.”
