Currently accepting proposals
The Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program (SREPs) is currently accepting proposals under this stream until May 28, 2025, 11:59 PM PST. The Indigenous-Led Clean Energy (ILCE) stream launched the Spring 2025 Request for Proposals (RFP) on March 7, 2025.
Interested applicants should review the ILCE Spring 2025 RFP Applicant Guide and send any questions to the SREPs team at sreps-erite@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca.
Objectives
The SREPs ILCE stream is dedicated to increasing meaningful and equitable Indigenous participation in the clean energy transition through the support of Indigenous-led clean energy projects. The projects selected through this RFP will advance renewable energy infrastructure projects that are Indigenous-led and have demonstrated direct community benefits, such as meaningful Indigenous ownership or participation, revenue generation, job creation, skills development, and/or improved energy affordability or reliability.
The ILCE stream supports Indigenous-led clean electricity deployment (e.g., wind, solar, hydro, battery-storage) and grid modernization projects. The ILCE stream may also provide capacity support for pre-development and deployment readiness activities, and strategic regional energy planning initiatives. More detailed eligibility criteria will be provided with each call for proposals. Note that the current RFP is for deployment projects only and information on capacity building and pre-development funding opportunities will be provided on this page as more information becomes available.
Current funding opportunities
Launched March 7, 2025, the ILCE Spring 2025 RFP will remain open for applications until May 28, 2025, 11:59 PM PST.
Through this intake, SREPs is seeking to advance generation and storage projects that meaningfully involve and benefit Indigenous communities. This RFP is open to all eligible applicants. Participation in the previous ILCE expression of interest (EOI) process, which ran from November 2024 to January 2025, is not a pre-requisite to participate in this RFP.
Full eligibility requirements and guidelines for the RFP are detailed in the ILCE Spring 2025 Applicant Guide. Interested applicants should review the applicant guide and send any questions to the SREPs team at sreps-erite@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca.
For this RFP, projects must meet all the following mandatory criteria to qualify for basic eligibility:
- Project scope must involve the deployment of renewable or non-emitting energy for electricity, and/or energy storage. Projects must represent permanent installations at full commercial scale.
- Indigenous leadership in the project is defined as supporting meaningful involvement of an Indigenous government, community, or organization, throughout the life of the project including significant economic or other tangible benefits to an Indigenous government, community, or organization. Meaningful involvement may include, but is not limited to:
- the project is driven by or initiated by the Indigenous government, community, or organization;
- there is Indigenous equity ownership or revenue sharing of the project;
- the project is prioritized by an Indigenous governing body within their jurisdiction;
- there is Indigenous control over decision-making or project oversight; or,
- other criteria that express Indigenous leadership in the project.
- Capital costs, or the Total Project Capital cost, defined as expenditures on the project’s physical or fixed assets, must be equal to or lower than thirty million dollars ($30,000,000).
- Integration within the Canadian electricity system through generation, services or capabilities for sale or use in Canada, and must be connected to the North American Bulk Electric System (the interconnected network of transmission and distribution circuits, generation and devices across Canada, the US and Mexico). Remote grids or territorial micro-grids are not eligible under this RFP.
- Funding need for the project must be demonstrated beyond that provided by other federal funding sources. SREPs considers the need for program support as projects that cannot move ahead without additional funding support due to a lack of access to capital or financing, or other tangible barriers.
- Project size must either meet a minimum of 500 kW generation and/or 250 kW AC energy storage for Indigenous recipients, or 4 MW generation and/or 1MW AC energy storage for all other eligible recipients. Bundling of multiple projects to meet minimum size requirements is not permitted under this RFP. Projects must be located at a single site.
- Based on proven technology at a Technological Readiness Level of 8 or above, meaning that the technology has been successfully deployed at the utility scale and is commercially available in Canada. All components used in the project must be proven to work in their final form and under expected conditions.
Future funding opportunities
Further ILCE stream intake processes will take place over the life of the Program and will have specific eligibility criteria, which may vary for each request. The SREPs distribution list will be notified when new funding opportunities are launched.
Ongoing engagement throughout the duration of SREPs will help determine the parameters of future intake processes. Your feedback, comments and/or suggestions are encouraged. Please contact the SREPs team at sreps-erite@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca.
Timeline
The following timeline is notional and may be subject to change.
November 28, 2024 – January 31, 2025
Completed intake of expressions of interest
March 7, 2025 – May 28, 2025
Accepting proposals under the ILCE Spring 2025 Request for Proposals
Ongoing
Engagement and design of future calls for proposals under the ILCE stream
Contact us
Please direct questions about this stream to the SREPs Team: sreps-erite@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca.
To receive ILCE stream updates by email, please send us a request with "Add me to ILCE Distribution List" in the subject line.