Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation are looking for community input on a proposed 117 km underwater electricity transmission line that would connect Ontario and the largest electrical market in the world to trade electricity between the two markets.
Six Nations would be working with ITC Holdings Corp. a subsidiary of Canadian utility company Fortis Inc.
The community would be looking to invest as a possible owner or be receiving revenue sharing through participation payments from the project.
Fortis owns multiple local utilities in Ontario and has been working as a partner to 24 first nations communities in northern Ontario.
In late 2021, Six Nations elected council approached Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation to perform an investment review on the project and explore it further.The community review will be ongoing until April 30.
During these reviews, community members have been invited to listen and learn about the project and ask any questions they have towards it. The intent of the investment review period is to give the Six Nations community more knowledge on the Lake Erie Connector by publicly disclosing the project and its investment details.
The project is set for site preparation beginning next year with a four year construction period and the transmission line being operational by 2027 according to the Term Sheet Presented to Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation From Lake Erie LP. on Jan. 28.
The line is set to be installed to run under Lake Erie and will run from the decommissioned Nanticoke power plant in Haldimand County to Erie County Pennsylvania.
Six Nations elected council is considering whether it should become a part-owner in the project, where the community would would hold a 7.5 percentage ownership in the project for the entirety of its lifespan
According to the Financial Review from First Canadian Property Investments Ltd. on Jan. 27 it's projected that the Six Nations community could see $45 million dollars in revenue over 40 years and up to 90 million if the contract was extended to 55 years.
Other options include revenue sharing where Six Nations would see $30 to 40 million dollars in participation payments over the next 40 years, or choose to not participate at all.
Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation said in a March 4 press release, “The LEC project will be constructed at no cost to hydro ratepayers, will create local employment opportunities, and will create energy system efficiencies and resiliency. Based on the investment review outcome, the LEC project could prove to be an attractive opportunity for Six Nations participation.
Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation’s President and CEO Matt Jamieson has asked for community members to attend a series of webinars that will run up to April 20 with the most recent coming Tuesday April 5 at 10 a.m.
During these webinars community members are asked to provide feedback and ask questions about the project and its potential benefits that could come to the Six Nations community.
The remainder of the webinars will take place on the following dates:
- Tuesday, April 5 - 10 a.m.
- Monday, April 11 - 6 p.m. (In-Person located at 2498 Chiefswood Rd. Ohsweken, ON)
- Tuesday, April 19 - 10 a.m.
- Wednesday, April 20 - 6 p.m.
Community members who cannot make the webinars are invited to submit their online comments via email at info@snfuture.ca
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