Indigenous-led renewable energy projects offer benefits that reach far beyond reducing carbon emissions

The number of renewable energy projects that are fully or partly Indigenous-owned is growing quickly in Canada, and our new research suggests that their benefits reach far beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The number of such projects on traditional Indigenous territories and reserve lands jumped by more than 300 per cent between 2009 and 2020. Nearly one-fifth of the country’s electricity-generating infrastructure involved First Nations, Métis and Inuit partners or beneficiaries as of 2022.
Yet little is known about the impacts of these renewable-energy projects within the participating communities beyond the physical footprint of the construction.
We aimed to fill this information policy gap in response to a request from two organizations that work extensively with First Nations, the Clean Energy Association of British Columbia and the New Relationship Trust, which obtained funding from Natural Resources Canada to conduct research. Together we conducted a study to paint a more complete picture of these broader impacts, interviewing knowledge-holders in 14 First Nations in British Columbia involved with 36 planned or operational Indigenous-led renewable energy projects.
We found that these projects employ “placed-based” approaches, often with a high degree of community engagement early on, and revenues often allocated to support their own culture, governance, ecology, support services and economy.
Transformational change

We found that when First Nations’ worldviews are centred and community control is enabled, broad social and cultural benefits result, providing greater self-determination. As part of our research, we interviewed knowledge-holders from the West Moberly First Nations near Peace River, B.C. The nation has used wind-project revenues to support cultural camps and youth programs. As one knowledge-holder there told us: “We are involved in it, and we are engaged in it. We are co-owners. And I know our Elders feel really good about hearing that. Knowing that we are not just sitting on the sidelines, while other people fill their pockets in our territory. And our community is doing that kind of stuff more and more. There is a connection there, right, because you are involved. More money is flowing to the community.” In the Fraser Canyon region, the T'eqt'aqtn'mux (Kanaka Bar Indian Band), which has been affected by wildfires in recent years, has used proceeds from solar projects to reduce fire hazards and protect homes. In the case of the Skidegate Band Council, we heard that revenues from a two-megawatt microgrid solar project would go toward funding Tll Yahda Energy, a partnership with the Old Massett Village Council to develop renewable energy projects in Haida Gwaii. While these results demonstrate that a broad range of positive outcomes can flow from Indigenous-led renewable energy projects, the social and cultural impacts remain neglected in conventional energy practice. An alternative to traditional energy planning The Indigenous-led projects we heard about stand in contrast to typically used top-down decision-making, favoured by governments. This approach is often characterized by public consultation that occurs after the decision of where to site the project has been made, often leading to local rejection of the project, and sometimes cancellation. The bottom-up nature of the approaches we heard about hold important lessons that can enable widespread acceptance of energy transitions. This is particularly relevant in B.C., where the provincial government is encouraging renewable energy projects to create economic opportunity and counter external economic shocks, including tariffs from the United States.

This policy push extends to the province’s more than 200 First Nations, with a 2025 procurement call that requires at least 25 per cent First Nations ownership of a project. The B.C. government must also meet its obligations under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), which aims to bring provincial legislation into agreement with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The UN treaty requires that state parties enable self-determination and obtain free, prior and informed consent from Indigenous Peoples for projects that impact their lands or resources. Indigenous-led renewable electricity projects in B.C. could help meet requirements under DRIPA to provide pathways for First Nations to improve their economic and social conditions without discrimination. The Indigenous-led approaches we studied provide a vehicle to support Indigenous communities and make progress toward the province’s decarbonization goals. They also hold valuable lessons for developing policy in other jurisdictions like Ontario, where the provincial government has pledged to boost support for the growing number of Indigenous energy projects. The world is entering a new era in which energy independence will be more important. Our findings about Indigenous-led projects illustrate a radically different approach to growing the Canada’s renewables industry in a way that can provide energy and facilitate transformational social and cultural change.

Christina E. Hoicka receives funding from the Canada Research Chair Secretariat, the Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund, CANSTOREnergy project NFRFT-2022-00197, New Frontiers in Research Fund Global NFRFG-2020-00339, funding from Natural Resources Canada Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities Program, Capacity Building Stream funding program, all of which supported this research. The research was conducted in partnership with the Clean Energy Association of British Columbia and the New Relationship Trust. Anna Berka and Ian Munroe do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.