SaskPower has connected the province's two largest-ever wind generation facilities to the power grid, more than doubling the province's amount of available wind generation and will be holding a competition to develop the province's largest solar facility in Estevan later this year.
"SaskPower's investment into increased renewable power shows its commitment to creating a cleaner power grid," said Don Morgan, Minister Responsible for SaskPower. "These new wind facilities will not only produce enough emissions-free power for up to 187,000 Saskatchewan homes but will greatly help SaskPower achieve its emissions reductions goals of at least 50 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030."
Located near Assiniboia, the Golden South Wind Facility was constructed by Potentia Renewables, who owns and operates the facility. Golden South uses 50 turbines to generate up to 200 megawatts (MW) of emissions-free power.
"We are very proud of the collaboration between the teams of SaskPower and Potentia as they worked together to overcome unprecedented logistical and health and safety challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic arising during the construction period," said Ben Greenhouse, Potentia Senior Vice President of Growth. "We look forward to continued collaboration with SaskPower over the life of this project."
The Blue Hill Wind Facility is located near Herbert, and is made up of 35 turbines, producing 175 MW. Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. constructed, owns and operates Blue Hill. Both Algonquin and Potentia will sell the power produced at these facilities to SaskPower as part of 25-year power purchase agreements.
SaskPower will also be launching a competition in the coming weeks to find a vendor to build the province's largest solar facility in the Estevan region. Estevan was chosen due to its abundance of sunny days, its proximity to suitable transmission infrastructure, and the relatively flat landscape. At 100 MW, this facility will be ten times the capacity of Saskatchewan's current largest solar facility and will be able to provide power for up to 25,000 homes.
"SaskPower's commitment to reducing its emissions is evident in today's announcement," said Troy King, Interim President and CEO at SaskPower. "Expanding our renewable generation portfolio is a critical part to providing safe, reliable, and cost-effective power to Saskatchewan."
The utility is developing several potential non-emitting generation options to achieve its emissions reduction goals including utility-scale battery storage, geothermal, nuclear power from small modular reactors, interconnections with other jurisdictions, and more.
More information about SaskPower's projects underway can be found at saskpower.com/projects. Photos of Golden South, Blue Hill and other current projects under construction can be found in this album.
At a glance...
- Saskatchewan's largest-ever wind facilities are now online near Assiniboia and Herbert
- Together, the facilities will provide enough emissions-free power for up to 187,000 homes
- SaskPower will also hold a competition to develop the province's largest solar facility near Estevan
- More information can be found at saskpower.com/projects
