Elemental Energy and Cold Lake First Nations, partners on the Chappice Lake Solar and Storage Project, are excited to announce that the Project has finished construction and is now operating – providing clean, renewable energy to the Alberta electricity grid. The innovative, first of its kind project, located just north of Medicine Hat in one of the sunniest spots in Canada, combines a 21 MWp solar array co-located with an 8.4 MWh utility scale vanadium flow battery from Invinity Energy Systems.

Funding for the approximately $45 million project was provided by a combination of equity from Elemental and CLFN, debt from National Bank of Canada, and grants from Emissions Reduction Alberta and Natural Resources Canada. “This project attracted funding from various sources on account of its innovative use of technology, meaningful Indigenous ownership, and its many benefits to both the local community and the wider Alberta grid,” said Jamie Houssian, Principal of Elemental Energy.

“As stewards of the land, our Nation is extremely proud to be in partnership with Elemental Energy on the Chappice Lake Solar and Storage Project,” said Chief Kelsey Jacko. “We support sustainable renewable energy development in Alberta that respects environmental, economic, cultural and social contexts, and anticipate that we will realize long-term economic benefits through our equity interest in the project.”

“Congratulations to Elemental Energy and Cold Lake First Nations on building the Chappice Lake Solar and Storage project. The Government of Canada is pleased to work together to deploy affordable, reliable, and clean power while creating sustainable jobs in Alberta,” said the Honourable Jonathan Wilkson, Minister of Natural Resources Canada.

“For us, what’s really exciting is bringing a new innovative project to a market that’s undergoing rapid transition,” said Dan Eaton, Director of Project Development for Elemental. “We think this project will bring a lot of value to the province and be a catalyst for more innovative dispatchable renewable energy projects.”

About Elemental Energy

Elemental Energy began with a belief in the power of the elements to provide renewable energy for all, and a sense of urgency to make it happen. Today, we are accelerating the growth of renewable energy projects that benefit our environment, our communities, our partners, and our future generations. The people of Elemental share a purpose for a sustainable world, a passion for clean energy, and the precision to make projects a success. We are relentless, hands-on, technical experts from the front office to the field. Elemental has a growing portfolio that includes operating wind, solar, and hydro projects across Canada and a strong development pipeline of future projects.

About Cold Lake First Nations

The Dene Su’line (Cold Lake First Nations) is a proud sovereign 3500-member strong Nation, with over 1,300 of our members residing on-reserve. The Nation strives to protect our people, our environment, culture, language and our way of life through the continuance of education and awareness. Equally, CLFN maintains an economic focus for a “livelihood for a livelihood” to provide and sustain an excellent quality of life for our members, for generations to come through environmental stewardship, social inclusion, and value creation.