Michael Joel-Hansen
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
The minister responsible for SaskPower says keeping Saskatchewan’s coal fire power plants running is the best way for the province to generate power as work is done to bring nuclear onto the grid.
“That (coal) is going to be the bridge by which we get to that nuclear future,” Jeremy Harrison said in an interview
He said $900 million will be spent over the next four years to extend the life of SaskPower’s coal plants, with work already underway to return to service a unit that had previously been taken off-line.
The work will be spread out to alleviate potential labour challenges. Harrison said the facilities are in good condition considering their age. He said some components will need to be replaced, but added he has confidence the refurbishment work can be done in a cost-effective manner.
Last week, the provincial government officially released the Saskatchewan First Energy Security and Strategy Plan, a document that touches on a range of energy issues, including transmission, distribution and generation.
Harrison said nuclear works for the province, due to its abundant uranium supply. The province is continuing work to develop small modular reactors, and the government said it’s looking at the feasibility of building two in the Estevan area.
Smaller micro reactors, which could power isolated work sites and communities, will also be considered along with large-scale reactor deployment.
An overall policy review will look at ownership, operation and deployment.
Coal vs. gas
The province reiterated plans to continue running SaskPower’s coal generation stations past 2030. It said the infrastructure can be extended until 2050 if needed.
Harrison said the government owns the coal, which keeps costs down, adding the physical infrastructure to generate electricity is present. He stressed replacing coal with natural gas would be more costly.
“If we were to start a brand new gas project today, you’d be looking at about $2 billion for a 350 megawatt plant,” he said.
Harrison said the policy change is also a product of a changing world, where energy security has become front of mind. Specifically, he pointed to Europe, where many countries became dependent on Russian gas and were left scrambling to replace it when Russia invaded Ukraine.
The plan also calls for the power grid in the north to be connected to its southern counterpart. Harrison said currently, if power needs to go south to north it has to be routed through Manitoba.
“We’re committing to completing that transmission line between E.B. Campbell Power Station and Island Falls to have those two power grids connected.”
Young also criticized the government plan for not being fully costed. She said the NDP is currently working to develop its own proposal, which she said is fully costed and has been put together with input from a range of people, including economists.
She said the government has mismanaged the province’s power system over the last 10 years and hasn’t been properly preparing for the future.
“We’ve have not seen the type of investment we’ve needed.”
