ANAHIM LAKE, British Columbia—The Ulkatcho First Nation has signed the papers and is set to build the largest off-grid solar farm in Canada.
Located in British Columbia, the Ulkatcho First Nation and surrounding communities rely solely on diesel to heat, cook, and provide other power needed for their daily tasks.
However, once built, the solar farm will span about 12 hectares (30 acres) and will supply up to 70 per cent of the electricity the communities need, according to Chief Lynda Price and B.C. Hydro.
In late April, the Ulkatcho Energy Corporation (UEC), which owns the project, signed a historic 20-year agreement with B.C. Hydro, promising that the public utility will purchase the energy created by the solar farm and integrate it into power lines and a storage system to serve the community.
The $30-million project is receiving $16 million in provincial and federal funding-is expected to produce enough electricity to power about 350 of the area's 5,000 homes, according to B.C. Hydro.
That transition will reduce the community's reliance on diesel by approximately 1.1 million litres-equivalent to approximately 3,300 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions-per year, B.C. Hydro CEO Chris O'Riley told CBC at the signing ceremony.
The provincial government has currently committed to reducing reliance on diesel for power by 80 per cent by 2030, and B.C. Hydro says Anahim Lake is one of 44 communities still dependent on the fuel.
While some of the Ulkatcho First Nation see this as a move to be better stewards of the land, others say the transition to clean energy is also practical. Wildfires and icy roads often cause power outages, preventing truckloads of diesel from making it to the remote community before generators run out.
"On the whole, there's very little drawback to actually putting in place these sorts of projects that again just add energy security and reduce costs for off-grid communities," said Evan Pivnick, with Clean Energy Canada.
Construction at the site of the First Nation's former sawmill is set to begin by August and the solar farm is projected to be operational by October 2025, according to the UEC.
The UEC, which is owned by the nation's economic development corporation, will also feed revenue from the sale of solar power to B.C. Hydro into services, infrastructure, education and housing on the First Nation, according to Price and Cahoose.
