A partnership between Wabun Tribal Council and Hydromega Services Inc. is creating long-term benefits for Aboriginal people and increasing the province’s supply of clean, renewable energy, Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay, Wabun Tribal Council executive director Shawn Batise and Hydromega Services project manager Stéphane Boyer announced today.

An agreement in principle between Hydromega and two First Nations – Brunswick House and Chapleau Ojibwe, both represented by the Wabun Tribal Council – will facilitate the development of hydro-electric sites on a stretch of the Kapuskasing River south of the Town of Kapuskasing. The developer plans to build four generating stations each with an installed capacity of about 5 megawatts, for a total of 20 megawatts – enough to supply about 5,000 homes with electricity.

This means that new, non-polluting clean energy will replace power from the current electricity base of the province that includes coal, gas and nuclear generation.  The net result is a smaller environmental footprint, and reduced Greenhouse Gas (GHG) and air emissions in Ontario. 

“This is the kind of partnership that will help promote sustainable, self-reliant communities,” said Shawn Batise, executive director of the Wabun Tribal Council. “It will not only benefit the First Nations, but also be a boost to the local economy.”  He added “The support of our advisors LUMOS Energy and WESA has critical to help Wabun reach agreement with Hydromega that was fair to all parties.  We look forward to continued collaborations with LUMOS Energy in the Future”.