Manitoba's Affordable Energy Plan – Building the Next Generation of Clean Energy was recently launched by the Government of Manitoba. The Affordable Energy Plan notes that Manitoba Hydro has determined that, in the near term, the Province of Manitoba will require 600 MW of wind power to ensure that Manitobans have affordable and secure energy. To achieve this, Manitoba Hydro intends to launch an expression of interest for near term wind projects with Indigenous majority ownership. To facilitate Indigenous participation in Manitoba's wind energy sector, a loan guarantee program will be established by the Province. The Affordable Energy Plan states that the program will be designed to align with existing Federal credits to maximize support for Indigenous-led wind generation projects. Further details of the program are expected to follow in Manitoba's 2025 Budget.
This announcement by Manitoba follows the recent decisions by each of the Government of British Columbia and the federal government to each create an Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program (for a brief summary, see our previous articles here and here). These programs follow in the footsteps of Indigenous loan guarantee programs that have already been established in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario (for a snapshot of the existing Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario Indigenous Loan Guarantee Programs, see our previous article here). The goal of these programs is to attract capital to ensure Indigenous ownership in important projects, enhancing economic reconciliation across Canada with some notable success stories such as the Wataynikaneyap Power Transmission Project in Ontario and the Cascade Power Project in Alberta.
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