Next step in renewables strategy

Awendio Solaris, a United Kingdom-based solar energy startup, has announced its intention to develop a manufacturing facility and global research and development centre in Montreal East, partnering with Kahnawake and other First Nations to do so.

The Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach and the Wendat Nation are joining the project along with Kahnawake as “investor-partners,” although Kahnawake is not making a monetary contribution to the project.

Instead, they will be given “Class A Ordinary Shares,” the most common kind of share issued by companies.

“We are a minority partner, which means, by holding these shares, we’re entitled to a portion of the profits. As the company increases in value, we will also receive that increase in value,” said Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) chief Paul Rice, the lead on economic development.

“Getting in at the beginning of this project, there’s a lot of upside in terms of the valuation of the company.”

William Samman, head of communications for Awendio Solaris, said that the partnership with First Nations goes beyond owning shares in the project.

“There are co-development opportunities, solar panel discounts, and availability advantages, but also a desire and interest in the project being a success,” said Samman.

He added that each of the First Nations currently involved with the project each had their own agreement with Awendio Solaris, and that another round of financing is expected to take place in early 2026, where other interested Indigenous communities could take part in the project.

Rice said those discounts and co-development opportunities make sense considering the emphasis on solar energy put forward by the MCK.

That emphasis has come for many reasons: a request for proposals (RFP) for solar projects from Hydro Quebec; market forces indicating that solar energy technologies are in high demand; and renewables projects aligning with Kahnawake’s values, with one wind farm project already active and another in the works.

Being involved in the manufacturing of solar projects is the next logical step for Kahnawake, Rice said.

“We’re not just part of the projects now, we’re actually involved in the manufacturing, whereas with the wind farms, we’re only involved in the projects. We don’t have any relationships with manufacturers of wind farms,” said Rice.

“So, we thought it was good, low risk, with a lot of opportunity for the future and upside in the solar industry.”

Rice said that the MCK will explore different kinds of solar projects to develop, whether it be larger scale projects similar to their wind farms that are situated outside Kahnawake, or smaller, localized installations within the community.

“I think each of those has its own merits,” said Rice.

“By partnering with a manufacturer who also does research and development, we’ll be able to examine more than just large projects. We can look at doing some things that are a little smaller and a little more networked,” said Rice.

“As technology advances, maybe there’s more opportunity for different types of projects. So, there’s really no limit other than the technology and the financials in terms of what we can do with this opportunity.”

The plant will strive to manufacture up to 2,500 megawatts (MW) of production capacity yearly, with plans to go up to 5,000 in future phases of the project.

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