An upcoming public meeting will highlight a planned solar farm to be built north of Thessalon that will power 40,000 homes.
Garden River First Nation and Neoen are teaming up for the Dunns Valley Solar project that will convert sunlight into electricity. The First Nation has a 50 per cent ownership stake. The 200-MW development, to be constructed on Shaw Road, will include power conversion stations, substation, an electrical conversion system and maintenance buildings, a notice of proposal said.
The information session runs Aug. 18 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Wharncliffe Community Hall. Project staff will be in attendance. A development report can be viewed at the drop-in event.
Lewis Boislard is project manager. The project website is Canada.Neoen.com/Dunns-Valley-Solar/. The email address is DunnsValleySolar@Neoen.com
Neoen, a global renewable energy company, was founded in 2008 and was acquired by Brookfield Renewable Holdings in 2025. Dunns Valley Solar was awarded a 20-year contract by Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator. The venture will be the largest solar farm in the province, Neoen says. Up to 300 full-time jobs are projected at peak construction. Work is expected to take 18 to 24 months and start in the second quarter of 2028. Operations are projected to start in the first quarter of 2030.
An open house was held in Garden River on July 13.
“Dunns Valley Solar project will play a critical role in meeting Ontario’s projected electricity needs by producing emissions-free power, daily, during peak demand,” Neoen says.
The venture is on 1,038 acres managed by Ministry of Natural Resources east of Garden River. Neoen will prepare a plan outlining the site’s decommissioning and site restoration.
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