Kebaowek First Nation, Wolf Lake First Nation and the MRC de Témiscamingue had been interested in developing the Onimiki project for several years. They were convinced by the Pekuakamiulnuatsh Takuhikan community energy model, which operates several successful community-based renewable energy projects.
The community of Mashteuiatsh was the first indigenous community in Quebec to develop a mini-hydro project. The expertise developed over the past 25 years is now being shared with new partners across Quebec, including Onimiki Renewable Energy.
Pekuakamiulnuatsh Takuhikan innovated by opting for a strategy that would ensure that the benefits of projects remained within the communities, enabling them to define initiatives in line with their values and long-term interests. Thus was born the community energy model.
Projects were launched on the ancestral Nitassinan territory in conjunction with municipal partners. That’s how the Val-Jalbert and Onzième Chute mini-hydropower plants in Lac-Saint-Jean have been developed.
The community has agreed to share this expertise with aboriginal and municipal partners located outside its ancestral territory, in return for a minority stake in the project. They too will be able to develop their territory’s resources in a harmonious way, while generating new sources of revenue for their communities.
Onimiki Renewable Energy is supported by Développement PEK, a non-profit organization set up by Pekuakamiulnuatsh Takuhikan with a team of specialists in various fields.
Kebaowek First Nation, Wolf Lake First Nation and the MRC de Témiscamingue are not the only ones to have been convinced by the community energy model. Énergie Matawak in Lanaudière and Énergie Communautaire de la Rivière Batiscan in Mauricie are also under development. The community energy model continues to grow.
To find out more about the Mashteuiatsh energy chain, watch the following video.