SaskPower announced that a contractor backed by First Nations will build and operate a solar facility near Estevan, which when ready will become the largest generator of its kind in Saskatchewan.
Iyuhána Solar LP will create a facility capable of generating 100 megawatts, which SaskPower says will be enough to power 25,000 homes.
Construction is set to start in 2025, with the facility up and running as early as December 2026.
“This new solar facility will play an important role in our path to net-zero by 2050 or sooner,” said Rupen Pandya, SaskPower president and CEO.
“We are proud of our ongoing collaboration with Indigenous Peoples and the critical role they are playing in the successful expansion of renewable energy in our province.”
This project is being made in partnership with Greenwood Sustainable Infrastructure, Saturn Power and Ocean Man First Nation.
“Our partnership with GSI and SaskPower will bring great opportunities for Ocean Man First Nation, including employment and revenue that will provide stability and sustainability for our Band,” said Chief Connie Big Eagle, Ocean Man First Nation.
“We are proud that this project, which is able to generate clean power, will be known as Iyuhána Solar, which, in Nakotah translates to ‘everyone’ or ‘all of us.’ This is derived from our Nakotah belief that everyone and everything is related and therefore we must care for each other.”