Wataynikaneyap Power connects Sachigo Lake First Nation to provincial power grid – ReNew Canada
September 13, 2024
Wataynikaneyap Power announced the energization of Sachigo Lake First Nation. The northern Ontario community was connected to the provincial power grid on November 2, 2023. At about 645 km north of Thunder Bay, Sachigo Lake First Nation is one of the Wataynikaneyap Power transmission system’s most northern communities.
“On behalf of Sachigo Lake community members, including Elders, youth, and land keepers, we are so pleased to celebrate the community’s connected to the provincial power grid. With this connection, we are no longer constrained by the limits of the diesel generators,” said Sachigo Lake Chief Simon Tait.
Wataynikaneyap Power is majority-owned by an equal partnership of 24 First Nations, in partnership with Fortis Inc. and other private investors, to build and operate the ‘line that brings light’, a $1.9 billion dollar infrastructure project. The 1,800 km Wataynikaneyap Power transmission system will ultimately connect 17 remote First Nations to the Ontario power grid, removing their reliance on diesel-generated electricity. Many of these generators are at capacity and not able to connect to new infrastructure.
