Onamia, Minn. – Temperatures are rising, along with the demand and cost of resources – including energy. This is precisely why it was the perfect time for Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures (MLCV) to officially commission its solar array in Hinckley, Minnesota. The ribbon cutting ceremony included speeches from Melanie Benjamin (Chief Executive of Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe), Joseph Nayquonabe (CEO of MLCV), as well as Gary Morris (Executive Director, Development at NextEra Energy Resources), Rebecca Sher (Project Director, Tribal Relations at NextEra Energy Resources), Justin Jahnz (CEO of East Central Energy), Terry Lovgren (Pine County Commissioner), and Steve Hallan (Chair, Prine County Board of Commissioners).
The appeal of using renewable resources is much more than an economic strategy for MLCV. In holding true to the organization’s values and traditions, the solar array will help preserve the sacred land where it is built. The goal is to lessen the carbon footprint made by MLCV and its subsidiary organizations.
“Today, the world is really caught in the cycle of relying on fossil fuels. We all know that those are destroying our Earth and climate. As a tribal government, we really work hard to make sure that, whatever we do, we are preventing climate change,” explains Melanie Benjamin, Executive Chief of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
It is clear the solar array is already making a major impact. Since going live on May 3, 2022, it has already had the same effect as planting more than 18,000 trees and has lowered carbon emissions by 725,000 pounds. And this is just the beginning.
Located near the powwow arena, where the Ojibwe customs and traditions are honored, the solar array holds the promise of a sustainable future. “The reason I like this location, is it’s crossing that line between generations – the beautiful history and culture our ancestors left us and those generations that will come after us. This, the project of the future, sits in the shadows of that and is a great unity of those things. I really appreciate the partnerships we’ve formed to bring this project to fruition,” says Joseph Nayquonabe, CEO of MLCV.
An extraordinary partnership between MLCV, NextEra Energy Resources, and ECE brought the solar array to life. NextEra Energy Resources developed and will own and operate the solar array; ECE will purchase the array’s output and sell to MLCV for a defined period. MLCV is leasing the land to NextEra for free over the next 30 years.