Iyuhána Solar Project

 

Located in the Rural Municipality of Estevan in southeast Saskatchewan, the 100 MW AC Iyuhána Solar Project (the Project) will produce enough power for the equivalent of approximately 25,000 homes. This historic initiative is one of the largest groundmount utility-scale solar facilities under development in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Iyuhána Solar, a partnership with GSI Management Inc. (GSI) and Ocean Man First Nation (OMFN), has been awarded an exclusive Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with SaskPower, to construct and operate the Project for 25 years.The name “Iyuhána” was specially selected because the name itself translates to –

‘Everyone’ or ‘All of us’

“This has to do with our Nakota philosophy that everything the Creator made in this Universe is related. The sun, the moon, and the stars. The sky, the earth, the rocks, the plants, the trees and the water. All the animals; the four-legged, the winged and the ones that swim. And of course the human beings; we complete the medicine wheel of red, black, yellow, and white. All of Creation is related, we all need each other to survive and therefore, we all have to look after each other. This is a significant project for GSI, Ocean Man First Nation and the Province of Saskatchewan. It will create employment, bring in revenue, and it will serve and provide power to many homes in Saskatchewan. It will take care of ‘EVERYONE’! ‘IYUHÁNA’!”

 

Project Details

 

Project Location & Site Plan

The 550-acre Project site will be located on SaskPower owned lands approximately 8 kilometers southwest of the City of Estevan. It is located in the northwest corner of the intersection of Range Road 2091 and Township Road 14. The Project will look to utilize approximately 200,000 Bi-Facial solar PV modules, 27 inverters, and 1 High Voltage transformers all enclosed in 12 kilometers of perimeter fencing.

Please download PDF here for the preliminary Site Plan. It is Iyuhána Solar’s goal to ensure that the RM of Estevan community will have opportunities to provide feedback and commentary regarding the Site Plan.

To utilize the interactive Site Plan, please click here.

 

Project Anticipated Timeline

 

Engagement and Consultation

Community connection and strong stakeholder relationships are at the forefront of the Iyuhána Project Team’s values and core beliefs.

Quarterly Newsletter Updates

Iyuhána Solar is committed to providing quarterly newsletter updates during development and construction regarding Project progress, key milestones, employment opportunities, opportunities for sharing concerns and details on upcoming community open houses, job fairs, community sessions and workshops.

Please see below for downloadable Newsletters. These newsletters will continue to be posted on the Iyuhána Solar Project website and can be emailed and paper mailed out to stakeholders upon request.

Community engagement is important to the Iyuhána Project Team. If you would like to receive Project updates via email or paper mail, please submit your contact information via this form. Iyuhána Solar is committed to protecting your privacy. Collected contact information will not be publicly shared.

Community Open House Process

We aspire to build strong and lasting relationships with all local stakeholders involved in this Project. As such, the Iyuhána Project Team will host a minimum of two Community Open Houses to provide access to Project-related information, a chance to talk with the Project Team in person, and the opportunity to influence the Project by providing input and feedback. 

The Iyuhána Project Team was thrilled to host our first Community Open House on September 5th, 2024, at the Southeast College Estevan Campus! We extend our thanks and appreciation for your time spent engaging with our Project Team and for providing us an opportunity to discuss the details of the Iyuhána Solar Project with you. 

We are excited to be hosting our second Community Open House that will take place on Wednesday, April 9th, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM Central Time, at the Southeast College Lecture Theatre, 532 Bourquin Road, Estevan, SK. We invite you to join us at this drop-in style event to engage with the project team in person. We encourage your questions and valuable feedback and look forward to welcoming you at this event.  

 

Frequently Asked Questions

The document below provides a summary of common Project-related questions and their respective answers. As stakeholder engagement progresses, the FAQ document will continue to be updated. The FAQ document has been updated as of December 12th, 2024.

 

Employment Opportunities

If you are interested in a career with an established renewable energy company in an exciting growth industry, this section contains information on upcoming job fairs and open positions. If there are no current openings, follow us on our social media platforms to ensure that you receive updates on upcoming job postings.

Indigenous Employment and Engagement

Iyuhána Solar has engaged Iron and Earth, an organization that strives to create sustainable, community-driven workforce opportunities. If you are interested in becoming involved or learning more, please visit Iron and Earth or see open positions listed below:

We’re eager to hear from you – if interested in a listed position, please apply at careers@ironandearth.org. Thank you for your interest!

Job Fairs

Iyuhána Solar is committed to hosting a minimum of two job fairs in the RM of Estevan to provide an opportunity to speak with our Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) Team about the various roles and employment opportunities that will be created throughout the construction phase of this Project. Additionally, Iyuhána Solar is committed to continued engagement and consultation efforts with Ocean Man First Nation and local Indigenous communities to inform local members about employment opportunities and potential service contracts. If you are interested in being considered, please submit your contact information via this form. Iyuhána Solar will share the collected contact information with the Project’s selected EPC Team.

 

Reports and Approvals 

Iyuhána Solar will obtain a variety of permits and approvals from federal, provincial, and municipal agencies. Iyuhána Solar has engaged independent experienced consultants to conduct the necessary environmental and technical assessments. Please see below for completed and downloadable reports:

 

Media Release

To read GSI’s Media Release about the Project, click here or download PDF here.

To read SaskPower’s Media Release about the Project, download PDF here.

To read GSI’s recent announcement regarding our partnership with Southeast College, click here or download PDF here.

To connect with Iyuhána Solar on social media, follow the links below:

 

Contact Us

GSI has experience building and operating projects throughout North America, having developed approximately 388 MW DC of renewable energy projects. To learn more about GSI and our capabilities click here.

Iyuhána Solar Project Team

The Iyuhána Solar Project Team welcomes any questions or feedback related to the Iyuhána Solar Project. Please contact us via the email below:

iyuhana.solar@greenwoodinfra.com

SaskPower

To learn more about the SaskPower projects including the interconnection of the Iyuhána Solar Facility, visit Planning and Construction Projects (saskpower.com).  If you have inquiries, Contact Us (saskpower.com).

 

 

Springbrook Solar Project

 

The Springbrook Solar Project (the Project) is a ground mount solar photovoltaic facility that will have a generation capacity of up to 20MW AC. The Project has been developed by Lethbridge Solar GP Ltd. (Lethbridge), a subsidiary of Greenwood Sustainable Infrastructure Management Inc., in partnership with the Red Deer Regional Airport and Red Deer County.

Lethbridge has been granted approval by the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) to construct, operate and connect the Springbrook Solar Project, located in Red Deer County, southwest of Red Deer, Alberta, and adjacent to the settlement of Springbrook.

 

Project Details

 

 

Project Location

The 92 acre Project site is proposed to be located at the southeast corner of Township Rd 374 and Range Rd 281 (C&E Trail). The Project will utilize over 36,000 Bi-Facial solar PV modules, 59 inverters, and 5 transformers all enclosed in perimeter fencing that will be at least 2.1 m in height.

To reduce the visual impact for residents and passersby, Lethbridge has dramatically increased the distance between road frontages and the Project boundary. Towards the northern most end of the Project, the solar array will be set back 200 m from the edge of Township Rd 374. Towards the western-most end of the Project, the solar array will be set back approximately 251 m from the edge of Range Rd 281 (C&E Trail).

To utilize the interactive Site Plan, please click here

 

Project Benefits

The construction and long-term operation of a large utility scale solar project will have many direct economic, environmental, and social benefits for the Red Deer and Springbrook community.

  1. Immediate Economic Benefits

    • Job Creation: The construction phase of the project will generate approximately 40 direct jobs of which approximately 90% will be locally sourced.  This phase will also cause an increase in indirect employment for local services and suppliers in the community.
    • Property Tax Revenue: The Project will generate over $9 Million in property tax revenue throughout the Project’s 35-year life.

  1. Environmental Benefits

    • Air Quality: Over the 35-year Project life, there will be an estimated reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions by approximately 250,000 tonnes of CO2e, providing greatly improved air quality for decades to come.

 

Participant Involvement Program

The Project-Specific Information Packages (PSIP) provide important Project related information such as land use considerations and a summary of deliverables, permits, and milestones achieved throughout the Participant Involvement Program. Please see below for the downloadable documents.

 

Approvals and Reports

Lethbridge engaged independent experienced consultants to perform environmental and technical studies to assess impacts of the Project, identify appropriate mitigation measures to minimize impacts, and acquire necessary approvals to ensure the development, construction, and operation of a viable, safe, and successful Project. Please see below for downloadable reports.

Red Deer County Letter of Support

The Letter of Support, provided by Red Deer County, can be downloaded below.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

The document below provides a summary of common Project-related questions and their respective answers. The FAQ document has been updated as of August 6, 2021.

 

Media Release

Lethbridge has been granted approval by the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) to connect, construct and operate the Springbrook Solar Project.

In recognition of this approval, Lethbridge distributed a Media Release with details on the approval, which can be found here.

 

Contact Us

If you have any questions or feedback, please contact us via the following:

Lana Taher, M. Eng. – Senior Project Developer
ltaher@greenwoodinfra.com