Natural gas power station going ahead: Saskatchewan government

REGINA — The Saskatchewan government says a plan to build a natural gas power station in Moose Jaw is moving ahead.

Dustin Duncan, the minister responsible for SaskPower, said in July he was pumping the brakes on the Crown corporation’s plan due to new federal regulations.

The regulations require combined-cycle natural gas plants, which use both gas and a steam turbine to produce electricity, that begin operating after 2021 to hit zero emissions by 2030.

Duncan said Thursday a review of the regulations is complete and the Moose Jaw project will proceed.

“SaskPower went through a process over the last number of months and crunched the numbers and still made the recommendation to their board and, ultimately, the government said that this is the right approach.”

Duncan said there were limited options.

“Really there are not a lot of alternatives … particularly when conventional coal-fired electricity isn’t going to be possible beyond 2030.”

Natural gas is a cost-efficient, low-carbon and reliable source of power that will be crucial as the province increases renewable forms of energy, he said.

The 350-megawatt plant, to be completed in 2024, is to generate enough power for a city the size of Saskatoon. (CKRM, CHAB, CTV Regina)

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2019.

The Canadian Press