Saskatoon power plant expansion boosts province’s capacity
SASKATOON — Natural gas has surpassed coal as the No. 1 energy-generating source in Saskatchewan with the completion of a multimillion-dollar expansion at Saskatoon’s Queen Elizabeth Power Station.
Speaking to employees and media at the station on Thursday, SaskPower president Mike Marsh described the new $525-million “D Plant” on Spadina Crescent West, which began construction in September 2013, as a “critical investment in our electrical infrastructure and our province’s future.”
Natural gas now makes up 40 per cent of the province’s energy capacity, surpassing coal, which makes up 32 per cent, renewable resources (such as hydro and wind) that make up 25 per cent and other sources (such as from independent power producers) that make up three per cent.
Natural gas power generation releases half the greenhouse gas emissions that coal generation does, making it a more environmentally friendly option to be the province’s top source for energy production.
“We’re going to be looking at a much cleaner future,” Marsh said.
Generation at the new plant is flexible. SaskPower is able to ramp up or reduce power production as demand changes or renewable source production fluctuates.
The new plant adds an additional 204 megawatts of capacity to the Queen Elizabeth Power Station — enough to power more than 200,000 homes. It also makes the plant the second-largest SaskPower generator after the Boundary Dam Power Station in Estevan.
Marsh said the extra capacity is needed.
“The demand for power’s been really great in Saskatchewan. I mean it’s just a symptom of the growth in the economy,” he said.