Project Spotlight: Duchess Solar
- Feb 6
- 2 min read
The Duchess Solar Project is a majority Indigenous-owned solar facility in Newell County, Alberta. The project illustrates how innovative financing partnerships can unlock large-scale equity ownership for First Nations in Canada’s power sector. Cold Lake First Nations holds a majority ownership position in the project, developed in partnership with Elemental Energy.
Project Overview
Duchess Solar is a 19.8 MW solar power plant in operation near the community of Duchess, Alberta in Newell County. The facility is expected to strengthen Alberta’s electricity grid and support long-term, community-driven revenue generation through Indigenous equity ownership.
Project Details
Location: Duchess, Alberta
Sector: Power (Solar)
Capacity: 19.8 MW
Indigenous Partner: Cold Lake First Nations (majority owner)
Industry Partner: Elemental Energy
Estimated Project Cost / Financing Package: $48.1M
Status: Operating
Indigenous Ownership
Cold Lake First Nations holding majority ownership is what makes Duchess Solar especially notable. This provides the community with control and long-term value capture through equity. The type of ownership structure is expected to generate long-term revenue that can be reinvested into community priorities and economic development.
Cold Lake First Nations described the project as part of its broader vision to expand its clean energy portfolio and generate benefits “for decades.” Source
Funding Details
Duchess Solar’s financing combines federal Indigenous equity capital, private lending, and a provincial loan guarantee:
Canada Infrastructure Bank:
$21M Indigenous Community Infrastructure Initiative loan
$5.2M Indigenous Equity Investment loan
Project finance loan supported by Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation (AIOC):
$21M project finance loan funded by Equitable Life
Substantially guaranteed through an $22M AIOC loan guarantee
Together, this blended structure is a strong case study for how Indigenous communities can secure majority ownership while managing financing risk and cost of capital.
Why This Project Matters
Duchess Solar is a practical example of economic reconciliation in action with Indigenous-led ownership paired with institutional tools (loan guarantees and equity initiatives) that make majority ownership feasible in real assets connected to the grid
Indigenous Energy Ownership Tracker
Duchess Solar is one of the many Indigenous-owned power projects tracked in IEM’s Indigenous Energy Ownership Tracker (IEOT)—built to centralize project ownership details, identify partnership models, and improve transparency across Canada’s energy transition.
🔗 Explore the IEOT:
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