'Leaders in wind power': Indigenous led Bekevar wind project approaching completion

A new wind farm led by Cowessess First Nation is close to completion before it can officially start generating power to approximately 100,000 homes in the southeast area.

Located north of Moose Mountain Provincial Park in the RM of Hazelwood, the RM of Kinglsey and on Cowessess First Nation, the Bekevar Wind Energy Project will supply 200 megawatts (MW) of zero-emissions power through 36 wind turbines.

“Cowessess takes pride in being leaders in the renewable energy space in Saskatchewan,” expressed Rebecca Acikahte, business development manager for Cowessess Ventures.

“We started with a one MW solar project and wind turbine in Regina. A couple years ago we added on 10 MW of solar for the Awasis solar project, and now, we’re doing the 200 MW of wind with the Bekevar project.”

In partnership with Innagreen, Renewable Energy Systems (RES) Canada, and Cowessess owned-entity Awasis Nehiyawewini Energy Development, the $400 million project started construction last summer and is expected to be complete by November.

• Download the CTV News app to get breaking news alerts sent to your device

Acikahte told CTV News why the community decided on the project.

“Unlike a solar project that takes up a massive amount of space and is no longer useable after the lifetime of the project, a wind project is spaced out in a way that the landowners can still use it if they’re farming around here,” she said.

“And, it’s a way for the nation to generate some revenue to put into social projects and build up the community. I think it’s a good sustainable way to keep revenue in the community for the next five years. I think it’s important as original stewards of the land to be conscious of the projects we're doing and really think about how they'll benefit not only members of our Cowessess but as well the province we live in.”

In preparation of educating others about the project, the community has brought in students and seniors from Cowessess to participate in workshops within the last year.

Throughout the workshops, people learn how to build small wind turbine models that end up generating small levels of electricity. One participant, Brad Sparvier, said the activity was fun and informative.

"It was nice to see what you can do and what you can produce out of boards, wood and plastic things,” he said.

“It was really good, I enjoyed it.”

With this being the third renewable energy project led by Cowessess, Sparvier said the nation has the potential to partake in other projects down the road.

"It's amazing to see those windmills, how big they are and what they'll produce in the future,” he said.

“I think we’ll eventually be leaders in wind power, I’m hoping.”