SaskPower Minister Dustin Duncan has announced the first stage of the competition to build one or more utility-scale wind facilities, whichwill see up to 300 megawatts (MW) of capacityadded to the provincial grid.
“With this competitionwe are taking another major step toward meeting SaskPower's Prairie Resiliencecommitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent below 2005 levelsby 2030,” Duncan said. “It is also ademonstrationof our commitment to building a cleaner energy future withoutthe need for a harmful carbon tax.”
Wind power has decreased in cost in recent years and is an economical way of meeting SaskPower’s renewable energy targets.
“Today’s announcement builds on 387 MW of wind power projects we are currently in the process of adding at locations near Herbert, Riverhurst and Assiniboia,” said SaskPower President & CEO Mike Marsh. “We look forward to building on our already strong relationship with the wind industry as we incorporate this vital component of our future power generation mix.”
The Request for Qualification (RFQ) opens in late October 2019.The RFQ phase allows SaskPower to screen prospective developers on experience and financial capabilityas well as the environmental suitability of sites. This will be followed by the Request for Proposals phase, during which qualified proponents will be evaluated through a fair, open and transparent process. Project award is expected in late 2020 with the facility expected to be in-service by late 2023.
Saskatchewan currently has a total of 241 megawatts (MW) of installed wind power capacity from six wind power projects.
For further information on Saskatchewan's cleaner power future, visit saskpower.com
