Tahltan Central Council president, Annita McPhee, at podium after signing deals    photo courtesy BC Gov

Prince George, BC – The provincial government and Tahltan Nation have signed revenue-sharing agreements on two hydroelectric projects slated for northwestern BC…

As part of the deals, the Tahltan will receive a share of water rentals and land rents charged by the Province for licences issued to power developer, AltaGas Renewable Energy Inc., over the life of the two projects.  The McLymont power project will be a 55 to 70-MW run-of-river hydroelectric facility located approximately 100-kilometres northwest of Stewart.  The Volcano Creek power project will be a 16-MW run-of-river facility on a tributary of the Iskut River.

Both projects will provide power to BC Hydro through the Forrest Kerr 287-kilovolt transmission system to the Northwest Transmission Line (NTL) substation at Bob Quinn.  The Tahltan were the first to sign a revenue-sharing agreement with the Province under the First Nations Clean Energy Business Fund – established to promote First Nations participation in the clean-energy sector – for the Forrest Kerr hydroelectric project last year.  It will be a 195-MW facility located on the Iskut River, 140-kilometres southwest of Iskut, selling power to BC Hydro for distribution to the province's power grid through the 335km NTL.

"We are pleased to be signing two more agreements with the Province that ensure our Nation is fully involved in and benefitting from sustainable resource development in our territory," says Tahltan Centra Council President, Annita McPhee.  "The Tahltan Nation is committed to resource development, such as these clean energy projects, which respect the environment and Tahltan rights, while providing tangible benefits to our communities."

Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, John Rustad, says, "The success of agreements like these can be measured in many ways – but, most importantly, through respectful negotiations with First Nations where we find common ground, we can create an economic climate that provides opportunities for all British Columbians."