Taku River Tlingit hydro project gets mixed reaction in Atlin, B.C.

The Taku River TlingitFirst Nation'splan to sell hydroelectric power to the Yukon is getting mixed reaction in Atlin, B.C.The First Nation's development company shared itsplans with the community atan open house this week.

"We know we've ruffled some feathers and we've acknowledged that," said Peter Kirby, CEO ofTlingitHomeland Energy Limited.

"At the same time we've had a number ofpeople saying, 'way to go, keep it going, that's great.'

"So we expect continued conversations with people in Atlin."

The company startled some Atlin residentswith blastinga few weeks ago, when it begantestingbedrock to see if a new powerhouse could be built near Pine Creek Beach.

The proposed project would seek to generate aboutfivemegawatts.Itwould be run and owned by the first nation, through Tlingit Heritage Energy.

"At this stage, with the rough numbers, it looks like it's apotentially viable project," Kirby said. A feasibility study is now in progress.

The project calls for a transmission line up theAtlinroad to the Yukon power grid. If the project proves feasible, the First Nation will negotiate a power purchase agreement with Yukon Energy.

"We're culturally, socially,economically tied to the Yukon.So as much as it is legally in B.C., reallywe think of ourselves as part of the Yukon and asa Yukon project," Kirby said.

Thiswould be the second hydroelectric project in Atlin. A smaller, two-megawatt turbine was built in 2009. Itsupplies nearly all of Atlin's electricity.