Neqotkuk First Nation, European company to build solar farm in Saint John
The 10-megawatt project will be the largest solar farm in N.B. and supply the Saint John Energy grid
Neqotkuk (Tobique) First Nation is partnering with a European company to build and operate the largest solar farm in New Brunswick with 100 per cent of power feeding the Saint John Energy grid, the project partners announced Tuesday in Saint John.
Chief Ross Perley of Neqotkuk says the 10-megawatt solar farm meets both the economic and sustainability goals of his people.
"It is important for Neqotkuk to continue to find ways to develop clean and sustainable energy here in New Brunswick," Perley said.
"It is our duty as First Nation peoples to be stewards of the land so that the next seven generations after us can continue to benefit off of the rivers and forests safely as our ancestors did before us."
The farm will be located on Old Black River Road in Saint John's east side and will generate enough clean electricity to power 1,200 homes and reduce carbon emissions by more than 10,000 tonnes a year.
Neqotkuk is partnering with Universal Kraft Renewables, a European company with Canadian offices in Calgary.
Jacob Roth, the project manager and business developer for Universal Kraft, says they value Neqotkuk's experience and values when it comes to developing clean energy projects.
The solar farm will be called the Menahqwesk Kisuh Energy Hub, a name that combines the original Wolastoquey word for Saint John (Menahqwesk) with Kisuhs, the word for sun.
"They have great experience with their previous wind projects," Roth said. "They've worked with Saint John Energy. Everything just added up perfectly and it makes sense for our company to grow holistically with those partners.
"It's much more community focused, which is important to us. It's a different lens on how they look at the community. They're helping out with the environmental aspects. They have a lot of pride in the area that they are developing in. They care about how the project integrates the community as a whole and that really aligns with our core values as a company."
This project deepens Neqotkuk's involvement in renewable energy projects in the region. It's already a partner with Nova Scotia-based Natural Forces in the 42-megawatt Burchill wind project in Saint John, which also supplies power to Saint John Energy.
He says they also have a four megawatt storage facility in Saint John, a 20-megawatt wind farm in Sussex and just signed a power purchase agreement with MB Power on a 200 megawatt wind farm in Salmon River in partnership with other communities.
"That's our portfolio right now and we are looking to expand it," Perley said.
These "owned-revenue" initiatives now make up about 20 per cent of the funds they use to provide needed service for their community of 2,800 people, he says.
"These projects help us fund community programming for our youth and our elders," Perley said. "Things like renovations for senior homes, things like sports and recreation programs for our youth in our community and health and safety programs that there's no funding for.
"There's a community food bank that this project will contribute to and many other things that the community needs that we don't have funding for."
Neqotkuk owns 51 per cent of the project, with Universal Kraft at 49 per cent. They expect to begin construction in the spring of 2026 and complete the installation by the summer of 2027.
Roth has high hopes for the project and says it could be the first of many more in the province.
"It's important for us to deliver and execute on this project, but I think that the door is open to continue developing sustainable projects in the province," he said.
Neqotkuk and Universal Kraft have an eager partner in Saint John Energy, which wants to be net-zero supplier of energy by 2030.
The city-owned utility says its goals align with their customers looking for low-cost renewable power, says Saint John Energy chief executive officer Ryan Mitchell.
"[The solar farm] will also deliver power at a lower cost than traditional sources, so it's good for the environment and for our customers," he said.
"Bottom line, this is a key step in our journey toward net zero. It also reflects the voice of our community where over 94 per cent of our customers, when surveyed, have expressed support for the local development of renewable energy."
Roth says they will be doing consultation in the residential neighbourhood on Old Black River Road. They've already started the process with a mail-out to the homes in the area.
"One thing that's advantageous is residents from the road won't actually be able to physically see it, so it's not going to interfere with our day-to-day lives," he said.
"But since solar is new in the province, there's going to be a lot of questions around how it works … we're excited to see how we can work with the community to keep this project moving forward."
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