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SACHIGO LAKE FIRST NATION, ONT. – Wataynikaneyap (Watay) Power, a First Nations-led company made up of 24 Indigenous communities, has announced that Sachigo Lake First Nation in northern Ontario will become the latest community connected to Ontario’s power grid.

The power company is building 1,800 kilometres of transmission line to connect 16 communities, ending reliance on diesel generators. The project is entering its second phase, stated a release.

The project achieved its first major milestone with the connection of Pikangikum First Nation in December 2018. Construction on the rest of the project commenced in February 2020 and was substantially completed in summer 2024.

Nearly 1,000 First Nation members have worked on construction of the line. The Watay Power Transmission Project is the largest Indigenous-led and lengthiest grid connection project in Ontario’s history.

The provincial government is lending $1.34 billion towards the project’s construction costs. Fortis is partnering with Watay Power as developers of the line.

Sachigo Lake FN, located 425 kilometres north of Sioux Lookout, has an on-reserve population of 540 people, with a total registered population of 966. Twelve remote First Nations communities have now been connected to Ontario’s energy grid through the project.

“Ontario needs to generate, store, and transmit more power as we face unprecedented growth,” stated provincial Minister of Energy and Electrification Stephen Lecce in a statement. “It is a priority for our government to expand and connect clean and affordable energy to some of the most remote northern communities, helping improve the quality of life of First Nation communities as we work to displace all diesel generators with clean electricity.”