Some major upgrades are coming to the Battlefords and the Northwest region as SaskPower reinvests in the electrical system.
In a news release Monday SaskPower announced the work includes upgrading portions of the power grid in areas including North Battleford, Lloydminster, Onion Lake, Paradise Hill, St. Walburg, Turtle Lake, Glaslyn, Biggar, Kerrobert, Unity and Macklin and surrounding areas.
The total investment comes to $110 million, with $100 million estimated for new power stations in the Rutland, Edam, Superb and Golden Lake areas.
Some post-construction work is going on to connect those power stations to the system, and that is expected to be completed in early 2017.
Another $10 million goes to system maintenance for North Battleford and Lloydminster. According to SaskPower, the work will include upgrading or replacing stations, inspecting and repairing wood poles, and upgrading or replacing electrical devices to protect power lines.
Part of the reason for the work is to keep up with the increased demand in the region for power. According to SaskPower vice-president of transmission services Tim Eckel, the region’s power demands have been increasing rapidly over the past decade and there were 300 new connection or reconstruction requests last year alone.
“SaskPower is facing an ongoing power challenge,” said Eckel in a statement.
“As the demand for power continues to grow, we not only need to build the grid, but we need to maintain our existing assets, including our power poles, transformers and stations. We’re investing approximately $1 billion annually throughout Saskatchewan to make sure homes, farms and businesses have the power they need, when they need it.”
SaskTel is also making the public aware that these major construction projects and ongoing system improvements will necessitate planned power outages.
Customers will be notified in advance. A list of the planned outages can be found at saskpower.com and on Twitter @SaskPower.
