The Hesquiaht First Nation’s transition from diesel generators to hydropower at Hot Springs Cove received a $500,000 boost on Friday thanks to an equity grant from the provincial government.
Hot Springs Cove does not have access to the BC Hydro grid and currently relies largely on diesel powered generators.
The Hesquiaht have partnered with the Barkley Project Group on a $13.7 million, 350-kilowatt power plant at Ahtaapq Creek that is expected to decrease diesel consumption by about 76 per cent and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 627 tonnes, according to a media release announcing the $500,000 grant on Friday afternoon.
The grant comes from the provincial government’s First Nations Clean Energy Business Fund.
“The First Nations Clean Energy Business Fund has been an effective tool for us to pursue this project,” Hesquiaht First Nation Chief Richard Lucas said through the announcement. “First, it provided money for a feasibility study, and now this equity investment has allowed us to secure the federal funding we need to make this project a reality.”
Decreasing Hot Springs Cove’s diesel dependency will also decrease the amount of fuel being barged in from Tofino each year.
“The shift to reliable, clean energy opens up opportunities, supports ingenuity and makes life better for people in remote First Nations communities, like Hot Springs Cove,” said B.C.’s Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Scott Fraser. “The First Nations Clean Energy Business Fund provides critical support to First Nations, so they can get remote-electrification projects off the ground and access further funding through the federal government.”
The Hesquiaht’s hydropower plant is expected to be complete in March, 2019.