NeToo Hydropower Project at Kenney Dam

Project Profile

The FNMPC first received a request for capacity support on the NeToo Hydropower Project in August 2017. Today, FNMPC is assisting Cheslatta Carrier Nation in exploring this project in collaboration with Rio Tinto. The vision is for a spillway and hydroelectric powerhouse to be built at the Kenney Dam site located southwest of Vanderhoof, BC. NeToo means “our water” in the Carrier dialect.

For Cheslatta, the NeToo Hydropower Project is more than just an economic development endeavour. It is also about reclamation and environmental improvement. Should the project be found to be commercially viable, it will assist in regulating the flows in the Nechako Reservoir which comprises part of Cheslatta’s traditional territory. Currently, without the NeToo Hydropower Project in place, the occurrence of flooding makes core parts of Cheslatta territory unusable.

This project is in the investigative study phase. FNMPC is providing a range of services to Cheslatta to support their engagement on the project, including the use of FNMPC’s member developed Major Projects Assessment Standards, which are helping to guide the terms of the environmental and habitat studies being carried out jointly between Rio Tinto and Cheslatta.

The project study phase will continue through 2021.

“Cheslatta Carrier Nation appreciates the capacity support being provided by FNMPC to our efforts on the NeToo Hydropower Project (Kenney Dam Water Release Facility). Cheslatta is a very small community and thanks to the support provided by FNMPC, we now have access to professional capacity and project coordination to help us make decisions that we would not have otherwise. The NeToo Project is a landmark initiative between First Nations and Industry and would ultimately bring large scale and far-reaching environmental and economic benefits to many communities for
generations to come.”

Project Profile