"Another power company vies for Six Nations approval"

Months after GenPower made their proposal to provide power generation to the territory the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chief Council heard another power presentation.

Representatives from the Competitive Power Venture Company attended Confederacy Council on Saturday to present their position.

Competitive Power Ventures is a North American electric power generation development and asset management company. They have offices located all over North America including Ontario.

According the company's website, the power company focuses efforts on creating new, significant clean energy supplies and partnering with communities they work in.

Aaron Detlor of the HDI introduced Duncan McEachern, vice President of Competitive Power Ventures, to the Chiefs.

He told the council that the company had taken a different approach to working with Six Nations. Detlor said that he doesn't normally direct developers to the council but the company had been working with the HDI for approximately a year.

The Chiefs heard that McEachern had made weekly trips to and around the territory for three and a half years.

"They have done a commendable amount of work," said Detlor.

McEachern told the council that his company is looking to develop the North Dumfries Energy Centre. He said that the company would meet the needs of Ontario to offer a peaking generation facility in Cambridge.

McEachern explained to the council that the facility would be designed to operate one or two hours at time to help alleviate pressure on the current energy system. He said that it would run during peak hours, for example in the summer when air conditioners are running.

The second facility the company is looking at developing is in Haldimand County.

"We are looking at a two cycle energy generation to create steam," said McEachern. "Similar to what GenPower's proposal is in Brantford."

McEachern said that the company will be looking at running a natural gas pipeline from Ancaster (near the fairgrounds) through Caledonia to Nanticoke. He said that the community currently relies on a 2 inch gas line that runs across the river and that his company would be providing a 4 inch line by the gypsum plant.

He told the Chiefs that he "wanted to hear your voices" and that he had been working with Hazel Hill and Aaron Detlor to address concerns and possible plans.

After the presentation a Cayuga Chief addressed monetary concerns.

"Does that mean that we will be double charged for delivery charges if we use your line and the line already in place?", asked the Chief.

"We haven't gotten into those details yet," said McEachern. "It would give you additional interfaces through gas though."

Butch Thomas, Seneca Subchief was also concerned with additional charges to the territory.

"Our concern is mainly money, we have many elderly on the territory. What we need is our own facility, we are always very cautious when people come to make a presentation," said Thomas.

Ron Thomas asked McEachern if Six Nations was merely an afterthought in the process.

"They would be transferred from the Trans Canada Pipeline flow through our territory right?," asked Thomas.

"Yes", replied McEachern.

"It would seem to me that this is just an incidental fact that it's near our community. 99 percent of the gas would be going somewhere else," said Thomas. "What you're interested in is a partnership deal that allows your pipeline to go through our community?."

McEachern said that Thomas' assessment was 75 percent right. He said that Six Nations would also benefit from revenue from the gas. He said that when he spoke to other members of the Six Nations community and the Band Council he understood that the gas supply was strained and this was a good solution to that problem.

He told the council that if there was a partnership his company would keep the HDI updated with the process and progress at every step of the way through an MOE.

McEachern told the council that the partnership would not only benefit individual consumers but could supply gas to businesses current and future.

After his presentation he thanked the Chiefs for taking the time to listen to the presentation and that he was honoured to be speaking to them.

The Confederacy Chiefs thanked the representatives and told them that they would be looking into the situation.