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TORONTO – The 2024 application period for the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) Homeland Energy Assistance Program (IESP) is now open and will run until August 30th.

The IESO is providing up to $15 million for Indigenous energy planning, infrastructure development and education to support Indigenous leadership in the energy sector.

Indigenous communities are eligible to apply for any or all of the following funding sources:

Capacity development includes specialized training, community engagement, youth and elder care workshops, and hiring of Community Energy Champions to help identify, plan, and implement community energy priorities. Economic development projects include renewable energy facilities, transmission projects, storage facilities, sector partnerships, and capital projects. Energy resilience and monitoring activities include energy planning, project monitoring, impact assessments, and energy audits.

The Indigenous Energy Assistance Program is announced as an important foundational step towards the long-term goal of achieving fair, equitable and inclusive participation in the electricity sector, which is particularly important as the pace of Ontario's energy transformation accelerates and First Nations and Métis communities become partners.

“The Indigenous Energy Assistance Program is extremely beneficial to our community,” said R. Donald Maracle, Chief of the Mohawk Nation of the Bay of Quinte, in a statement. “This funding will allow our community energy team to gain the skills necessary to build and maintain renewable energy assets. It will also enable us to hire a Community Energy Champion to lead projects that will strengthen energy resiliency, reduce costs for our members, and create economic opportunity for future generations.”

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