A new deal has been reached between Hydro-Québec, the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake and the MRC des Jardins-de-Napierville, involving three municipalities, and the Township of Hemmingford.
Twenty-one wind turbines are slated to be built producing 147 MW of power, enough electricity for more than 30,000 homes.
“Green energy is a great space to be in,” Alexandre Beaupré, the executive revenue Officer of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake told Global News.
The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake has a 25 per cent stake in the project, slated to be commissioned by the end of 2028.
“It’s an investment that makes sense in the long run for the Mohawks of Kahnawake,” he said.
This is the second time the Mohawk Council has reached a partnership with Kruger Energy. The Indigenous community also reached a deal, on a smaller scale, in 2022.
“Indigenous communities need to be part of these projects, they can be successful partners,” Beaupré said.
Jean Roy, Kruger Energy senior V.P., says they’ve been working with Indigenous communities for years on renewable energy projects and the Mohawk Kahnawake Council members are excellent partners.
“We developed a good relationship with them for almost the last 20 years,” Roy said.
Energy demands are soaring in the province according to Hydro-Québec and the public utility company is projecting to double its wind energy production.
”We know that electricity is going to be in strong demand,” Caroline Des Rosiers, a spokesperson at Hydro-Québec, told Global News.
On January 26, the utility company announced eight new wind turbine contracts with six of them involving partnerships with Indigenous communities.
”We want the communities to be involved, we want them to collaborate,” Des Rosiers, said.
Indigenous communities hope the projects will continue to produce big financial windfalls for their people.
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