Saskenergy to shut down natural gas service to nine sites

Saskenergy is discontinuing natural gas service to seven properties on Buffalo Pound Lake due to safety concerns.

Slope movement in the community of South Lake is impacting Saskenergy ’s natural gas pipelines and the Crown corporation has determined it can “no longer safely serve” these seven residential properties, according to a news release issued Tuesday. Saskenergy will be able to reroute a gas pipeline away from a slope movement area to allow service to continue for an additional 120 properties. Construction work is planned for this fall.

Service will also be removed from two properties in the community of Shore Acres at Last Mountain Lake. Shore Acres was one of the six communities that required permanent natural gas service removal to certain properties affected by ground shifting last year. While Saskenergy continues to closely monitor Last Mountain Lake, the majority of ground movement is located in zones where natural gas service has already been removed.

All nine customers at South Lake and Shores Acres have three months to convert their properties to an alternate fuel source, as gas service will be permanently disconnected beginning October 1. Saskenergy will provide these customers with a $2,500 fuel transition allowance, to help with converting their home’s appliances to another fuel source.

A natural gas main located in Deer Valley will also be permanently deactivated in an area that had past ground movement. No Deer Valley customers will be affected, as this pipeline does not currently supply natural gas to any properties.

Last year, Saskenergy announced it was removing natural gas service to some 220 properties in cottage country north of Regina due concerns around ground shifting. The properties affected at that time were located in six different communities — Buena Vista, Craven, Regina Beach, Saskatchewan Beach, Shore Acres and Sundale. At the time, the Crown corporation called it the largest planned service shutdown in its history.

It followed concerns, which began in 2014, around ground movement that resulted in gas leaks well above the provincial average. In December 2014, a Regina Beach property was levelled and other nearby properties damaged after a natural gas explosion.