Saskatchewan's population is growing, and to keep up with the increasing demands, SaskPower has a number of projects planned, specifically for the southeast, which they say will help meet those demands.
In addition to the recently completed 230kV interconnection substation in Kisbey, which connects with the existing S2P transmission line located west of Forget, SaskPower is proposing the construction of a new 138-25kV substation approximately 12 km west of Torquay.
The substation is currently slated for completion between July and October of 2015.
"Both of these projects support increases in customer demand for power that we’re seeing in the Estevan area, and across the province,” said Tyler Hopson, a spokesperson for SaskPower.
SaskPower's capital budget for 2015, according to Hopson, is $1.2 billion. A large chunk of that, approximately $956 million, will go towards accommodating the rising demand for power and to improve the existing infrastructure.
"We're in a tremendous period of growth in Saskatchewan," Hopson said. "It's been fairly consistent over the years, 2014 was no exception."
He also noted approximately 11,000 new customers were added to the electrical grid in 2014.
Boundary Dam 3, which was retrofitted with carbon capture technology and became operational in October 2014, is still top priority in southeast Saskatchewan for SaskPower. BD3, however, came with an expensive $1.4 billion price tag and has contributed to SaskPower's $5.5 billion debt, according to a recent report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives of Saskatchewan.
"I don't think it's slowed us down, it's one piece of the puzzle we've been working on to help keep up with the growth we're experiencing," Hopson said. "It's stable base load power that we get from that plant that is available more or less 24 hours a day and seven days a week."
Hopson also stressed the importance of continually upgrading BD3, especially in these early stages of its existence.
In addition to BD3, a number of large-scale projects are either already underway or in the planning phase across the province.
Hopson said that SaskPower forecasts an additional 850 megawatts of added power by 2019, some of which will come from the 177 megawatt (MW) Chaplin wind farm, a project that was given the green light in 2012, after the carbon capture project was OK'd in 2011. Another large chunk of power will come from the 205 MW expansion made to the Queen Elizabeth PowerStation in Saskatoon.
A significant number of resources will also be put on upgrading power lines, power poles and facilities within communities, Hopson said.
For a full list of construction projects in Saskatchewan, visit www.saskpower.com
