One of the largest state-funded microgrid projects will ultimately enable the tribal community to operate independently of the local utility’s grid for greater energy reliability

CORNING, Calif., June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — OATI today announced a strategic partnership with The Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians to strengthen tribal energy resilience and independence by integrating OATI’s microgrid and distributed energy resource controller, GridMind^®, to manage the tribal community’s major two-part solar and battery microgrid system.

The project, which initially broke ground in 2024, will provide the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians with renewable power, reduce peak energy demand and costs, and support critical community loads. Using a combination of 4.5 MW of solar panels and 21 MWh battery energy storage systems, the two microgrid sites are designed to enable the tribal community to operate independently of the local grid during utility outages, while also improving resiliency against high wildfire risks in Tehama County and throughout the region.

Backed by both state and federal grants, the project acts as a landmark model for using funds from FEMA and the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) to enhance local energy resilience and self-reliance for tribal communities.

Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, in close collaboration with tribal energy developer Woven Energy, will integrate OATI’s GridMind^® solution into both microgrid sites to optimize how each system produces, stores and uses power through automated, timely and rule-based actions. OATI will additionally design and implement the solution to allow for integrated controls in normal operations and the ability for each microgrid to operate together or independently of each other. Ultimately, tribal leaders aim to use GridMind^® as the key enabler of an independent, tribal-owned utility.

“Energy is the foundation that everything else in our region depends on; homes, businesses, healthcare systems, emergency services, and the natural systems we have a responsibility to protect. This microgrid is about making sure the tribe and our neighbors have reliable power during the moments that matter most, whether that’s a wildfire, a heat wave, or a peak demand event on the grid. For Paskenta, energy independence is inseparable from our values around stewardship of the land and the long-term well-being of our community,” said Tribal CEO Damon Safranek. “Building a tribal utility from the ground up, integrating solar, storage, and advanced grid controls across two sites, is genuinely complex work, and the stakes for our community are too high to learn as we go. That’s why working alongside OATI and Woven Energy has mattered so much. They bring decades of proven experience in critical energy infrastructure for rural communities, and that experience is what makes our ambition for this project a reality.”

OATI provides energy resource-agnostic microgrid consulting, design, deployment, and control services, ensuring projects are scalable, financially viable, and integrated into broader grid operations. Using its GridMind^® platform, OATI enables revenue stacking from grid services, market participation, and resilience value, helping to unlock the economic potential of distributed energy resources.

“We’ve worked with multiple tribal communities to build self-sustaining energy systems, and we’re proud to continue our work with the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians and Woven Energy, especially in an area where energy independence can provide life-saving reliability,” said Sasan Mokhtari, president and CEO of OATI. “We look forward to increasing adoption of tribal-led microgrids to establish localized energy hubs and provide them with the tools to secure financial self-sufficiency.”

About the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians
The Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians is a resilient and vibrant Tribe based in the Corning area of Northern California. As a recognized sovereign nation, they own several businesses within Tehama County, employing nearly 1,000 people within the local community. The Tribe’s enterprises include Rolling Hills Clinic, Tepa Companies, Paskenta Mad River Brewing, and Rolling Hills Casino & Resort. The Rolling Hills Casino & Resort features a casino, two hotel towers, four restaurants, two conference centers, an RV park, an equestrian center, a golf course, the Rolling Hills Travel Center, the Obsidian Amphitheater, and the Paskenta Brewery and Distillery. Each year, guests visit Rolling Hills Casino, bringing with them tourist dollars that benefit the local economy. The Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians is a strong community partner supporting local programs through its Paskenta Nomlaki Foundation.

About Open Access Technology International (OATI)
Energy is all we do. From bulk energy markets to community microgrids, OATI serves every segment of the energy industry with essential technologies and services. At our core, we’re power systems engineers building better ways to move electrons across the grid.

We were the first company to provide large-scale software-as-a-service to the energy industry, and we pioneered the bulk power and DERMS markets. Today, we continue to push the energy frontier with cloud-based grid solutions and energy-native generative AI. Without compromising on security – for 30+ years, our private servers have safeguarded the energy industry’s data.

OATI was founded in 1995 by world-renowned power systems engineer Dr. Sasan Mokhtari, PhD. Privately owned for more than 30 years, OATI is an engineering-first organization that prides itself on leading the industry’s most robust research and development team, free from the pressure of venture capitalists and institutional investors. For more information, contact [email protected].