The Colville Reservation in northern Washington.
The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and Open Access Technology International (OATI) announced a collaboration to advance tribal energy sovereignty and resilience through the design and deployment of multiple solar + storage microgrids across the reservation in northern Washington.
The program represents a significant step toward improving reliability, reducing outages and providing long-term energy independence for the Colville Tribes, which is governed by four legislative districts: Omak, Nespelem, Keller, and Inchelium. The initiative is backed by federal and state grant awards and addresses vulnerabilities such as winter storm disruptions and wildfire risks.
The Colville Tribes microgrid program is rooted in the principle of energy sovereignty — the right of tribes to produce, deliver and manage energy on their own lands. With the Colville Reservation served by multiple utilities offering varied levels of service, the ability to self-generate electricity provides resiliency and reliability for vulnerable communities and ensures critical services — including healthcare, commerce and housing — remain powered during outages. Colville Tribes may also leverage the microgrids to offer additional grid benefits to local utilities and/or engage in energy markets as they evolve and grow.
“Since the Colville Reservation is in a remote location, subject to natural events like winter storms and fires, it has always been difficult for us to sustain a reliable supply of power,” said Jarred-Michael Erickson, Chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. “Our hope is that this microgrid technology will not only keep our lights on, but will also position us for new economic opportunities.”
OATI is delivering professional project design and development services, hardware and its advanced GridMind platform to support the microgrids through resource management and market integration.
Planned sites include:
- Nespelem HQ Campus (Lucy F. Covington Government Center): Rooftop solar PV, battery energy storage, EV charging, and microgrid controls, with an expansion to create a full campus resiliency hub.
- 3.9-MWH BESS
- 300-600-kW PV solar (rooftop & carport)
- Total site demand – 1.2-MW (government center plus ancillary buildings)
- Paschal Sherman Indian School (PSIS) Community: Microgrid design to support education and community resiliency.
- 400-600-kW PV solar (ground mount)
- Additional 100-kW rooftop solar
- 1.5-MW generator
- Total site demand – 0.5 MW with large expansion planned
- Keller and Inchelium Districts: Additional distributed energy resources and microgrid infrastructure for local resilience.
- 3.9-MWH BESS
- 400-600-kW PV solar (ground mount)
- Provisions for future generator
- Total core site demand – 0.3 MW
- Expandable to 1.7 MW with utility coordination and added resource
Future expansions envision integration with gaming operations and potential data centers, supported by tribal-owned utility and telecom infrastructure.
“OATI is proud to support the Colville Tribes in creating a resilient and sovereign energy future,” said Sasan Mokhtari, president and CEO of OATI. “We’re seeing tremendous interest from tribal communities in pursuit of energy sovereignty. Microgrids are more than backup power — they empower communities to shape their own energy destiny.”
News item from OATI
