A company owned by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation has landed a substantial contract to provide small wind turbines to an aboriginal community in the U.S.
TWN Wind Power expects to have two 40-kilowatt wind turbines up and running by October in the White Earth Nation, located in northwestern Minnesota. The turbines will help the reserve run its sports complex and business supply centre.
TWN formed two years ago after the Tsleil-Waututh made a $2 million investment into Endurance Wind Power, a Surrey-based company. As part of the deal, TWN is distributing small wind turbines to First Nations communities across North America.
"After doing a bunch of due diligence and research on it they did find there was a market segment that wasn't being served," said Marc Soulliere, president and CEO of TWN.
"For most communities, energy costs, whether they are electricity or in remote communities, diesel, they are some of the highest costs on their balance sheet and if they can decrease those in any way that helps the communities overall."
The company first began talks with White Earth Nation after attending an economic development conference together. They are now looking at collaborating on more energy-saving projects, said Soulliere, who did not want to disclose how much the current contract is worth.
"There is a desire for nations to build their businesses together if at all possible," he said.
Last October, TWN set up a five-kW wind turbine in the Lower Similkameen reserve located near Cawston, B.C.
It currently has projects on the go in Ontario, Nova Scotia, California and Oklahoma.
For more information go to www.twnwindpower.com.
