Honorable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, announced the Government of Canada, in partnership with Indigenous communities, is investing over $160 million in nine solar power projects in Alberta. In total, these projects will create 163 MW of new solar generation, provide 48 MW of battery storage capacity, and reduce carbon emissions by over 15,000 tonnes each year.
“The funding received… from NRCan’s SREPs Program was instrumental in accelerating these projects to construction,” said David Eva, Capstone Infrastructure Corporation CEO. “We’re proud to be delivering emissions-free energy…, creating jobs in Alberta, and generating income for local municipalities and our Indigenous partner for decades to come.”
These projects will be funded through federal investments from the Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program (SREP), which has been given $3 billion to support the creation of clean and affordable electricity. All SREP initiatives will help support Canada’s commitment to developing a net-zero electricity system by 2035 and create thousands of middle-class jobs for its citizens.
The nine projects are as follows:
- Capstone Infrastructure Corporation, in partnership with Sawridge First Nation’s Michichi Solar LP and Kneehill Solar LP projects, will each deploy a 25-MW solar farm with smart-grid-enabled solar inverters. These projects received a total of $65 million and are expected to create up to 240 jobs.
- Concord Green Energy and the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, under their Concord Monarch Partnership, will each deploy a 34 MWh battery energy storage system on existing solar arrays across Alberta. The projects received a combined $45.8 million and are expected to generate over 100 jobs.
- Métis Nation Power Authority, Inc., supported by $12.8 in federal funding, will deploy a 4.9 MW solar project in Alberta’s Métis Nation Region 3. This project will create 24 jobs and provide training for Indigenous youth.
- Chappice Lake Limited Partnership and Cold Lake First Nations received funding of $21 million to deploy 14 MW of solar electricity generation equipment and 2.9 MW of battery energy storage and artificial intelligence battery dispatch software.
- Enterprise Solar L.P., supported by approximately $12 million in federal investments, will deploy a 65 MW solar energy generation project in Vulcan County, Alberta and create up to 935 jobs.
- Cardston Spring Coulee Solar Limited Partnership will use single-axis trackers to deploy a 29.5 MW bi-facial solar plant in Cardston County, Alberta. The Partnership’s project was allocated $5.5 million and is expected to generate up to 145 jobs.
