March 16, 2017
Dear Editor,
People should be asking how SaskPower intends to meet the 50% renewable electricity by 2030 target set by the Premier over a year ago. Since that announcement, a 350 MegaWatt (MW) natural gas burning plant has been planned for opening in 2019. A 170 MW wind installation is planned for southwest Saskatchewan. This week SaskPower is consulting with Saskatchewanians about a proposed 60 MW solar addition to the grid by 2021. And 1 MW of natural gas created by human activity at the Regina landfill, has just come online this month.
According to SaskPower, over 90% of the power produced within Saskatchewan comes from fossil fuel sources. We import hydro from Manitoba, and generate some in Saskatchewan. A bit more hydroelectricity is planned at Tazi Twe, to add 50 MW by 2019. A little more at Saskatoon’s delayed river hydro project.
Not to bore you with basic math, but 350-170-60-50+1 = 71 MW more will come from burning fossil fuels to be added to the grid within the next 4 years. Their “Renewables Roadmap” lists only 210 MW more for wind and solar to be called for by this quarter in their Request for Proposals. This leaves a huge renewable electricity shortfall to be fixed in the remaining 9 years. Does SaskPower have an answer to this? Does the Premier? Are they hoping no one notices?
Saskboy's Abandoned Stuff 
Pingback: Leading The Way in Saskatchewan on Renewable Energy | John Klein - Regina
SaskPower has since postponed/cancelled the 50MW hydro dam project.
Now SaskPower is talking about adding 16MW by 2021 as Net Metering. It’s unclear to me at this point if this is included in the number above, or in addition to it. Either way, it’s not close to enough.
The SK Gov has removed mention of solar as a method they intend to use to reduce emissions.
Minister Duncan today on CHAB was reported as having said the federal Minister didn’t tell him the day before an announcement about power plant standards, that the Moose Jaw natural gas plant planned was not going to meet the standard.
The Government has known for years that emissions standards are improving, and gas plants are old technology now.