Excerpt from news.gov.bc.ca
Ten Indigenous communities on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands will join B.C.’s clean-energy sector with local projects following support from the Province.
The Province is partnering with Indigenous communities throughout B.C. to work toward a low-carbon future by providing funding from the First Nations Clean Energy Business Fund (FNCEBF).
The fund helps develop clean-energy projects driven and owned by Indigenous communities in areas such as solar, ocean thermal, wind energy, biomass, run-of-river hydroelectric power, energy-efficiency planning and other clean energy-related areas. A key goal of the fund is to increase the participation of Indigenous communities in B.C.’s clean-energy sector.
The FNCEBF provides Indigenous communities with clean-energy support in the areas of studies and planning, equity funding and revenue sharing.
The Uchucklesaht Tribe Government near Port Alberni has received $49,708 in capacity funding for the Ts’a:ʔaqo:ʔa (Uchuck Creek) hydro project. As the Nation begins to rebuild its historic village, more residents are returning home, which has put strain on electricity demand. The funding will help transition the community from reliance on diesel generators to a cleaner hydroelectric power source and bring back the quiet tranquillity that Elders remember about the historic village.
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