The project will install rooftop solar panels and panels on top of covered parking to provide power for the Sugar Creek Casino and Sugar Creek Inn and Suites in Anadarko, which the tribal government owns and operates.
The Wichita and Affiliated Tribes is one of just six tribal nations selected to receive a grant from the DOE for clean energy projects. The DOE is providing nearly $3.8 million, and the tribe will match about a quarter of those funds.
“We’d definitely like to have this constructed and in place by next summer,” said Wichita and Affiliated Tribes Treasurer Vanessa Vance. “Of course, it's going to depend on the weather and all those other factors that we face in Oklahoma.”
Vance said over the panels’ projected 25-year functional lifespan, they should save the tribe around $9 million on energy costs.
The project will also reduce the tribe’s carbon footprint by more than 33,000 tons each year, according to the DOE. Vance said the project will generate enough solar energy to fully power the hotel and provide about one-fifth of the casino’s electricity.
“Right now, we have no green energy,” Vance said. “We're hoping that this will lead to other alternative energy initiatives for the rest of our operations.”
Vance said the project will create around seven temporary jobs and three permanent positions. The tribe also intends to develop a utility authority to regulate and monitor the usage of this power and any future energy initiatives.
The Wichita and Affiliated Tribes is based in Anadarko, and they share their jurisdiction area with the Delaware Nation and the Caddo Tribe of Oklahoma.
“So not only is this a good project going to benefit us, it's going to also benefit our sister tribes and their community as we look to bring alternative energy into our area,” Vance said.
Vance said tribal officials are meeting with developers to kick off the project this week, and the installation should be finished by next summer.