Ground was broken Monday afternoon on a majority Indigenous-owned wind facility in south-central Saskatchewan.

The Rose Valley Wind Project is being built about 30 kilometres east of Assiniboia and will have a 30-year contract to produce electricity for SaskPower.

It is a joint-project between Potentia Renewables and M2 Renewables. M2 is a partnership between the Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC) and the Mistawasis Nehiyawak First Nation, located near Leask. M2 Renewables will own 51 per cent of the Rose Valley Wind Project, which is expected to be ready by late next year.

“For the nine nations of MLTC, we value the opportunity to participate in the provincial economy and continue to develop economic prospect on behalf of our membership,” said MLTC Tribal Chief Jeremy Norman. “As a partner with Potentia Renewables and SaskPower, we are building Saskatchewan’s power future while advancing economic reconciliation and self-determination for Indigenous peoples.”

By the time the Rose Valley Wind Facility comes online, the total amount of wind generation capacity in Saskatchewan is expected to exceed 1.2 million megawatts.