Last week, the Saskatchewan government announced its plan to prolong the operation of the province’s coal-fired power plants. Simultaneously, they are upstreaming a movement towards nuclear power generation. This approach prioritizes not just energy efficiency, but increasing supply—meeting the growing demand for electricity with more of it. Simultaneously, it maintains the province’s intention to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Jeremy Harrison, Saskatchewan’s Crown Investments Corporation Minister, formulated these plans in a letter, explaining this recently in detail. He provided no details on the anticipated costs or timeline.
Easily the biggest challenge to Saskatchewan’s energy landscape is its heavy dependence on coal, with SaskPower currently running three coal plants. Some units of these plants were supposed to retire in the next few years as of their original compliance timelines. Harrison reiterated that increasing the longevity of these facilities is of utmost importance. It will save jobs and ensure that electricity remains an affordable, reliable part of their residents’ lives.
“We have been clear that we do not recognize the legitimacy of the federal clean electricity regulations,” said Harrison, indicating a pushback against federal policies that may conflict with provincial interests. He said he was hopeful for Saskatchewan to be a place where coal would still be used.
Our coalmine, our abundant quirky resource owned – as it should be – by the people of Saskatchewan. Coal’s certainty and security, Harrison said, would ensure it remained an important pillar of our electrical generation system. This will help move us towards our commitment to a small modular nuclear powered future – one that is powered by Saskatchewan uranium.
Saskatchewan is clearly leading the charge with its transitional approach. The province has promised to look into implementing carbon capture technologies in their existing coal works. This positive initiative furthers the province’s overall ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent below 2010 levels by 2030. Simultaneously, it utilizes the region’s abundant natural assets. Wind and solar will continue to be important parts of Saskatchewan’s electricity future.
SaskPower wants to develop a small modular nuclear reactor by the mid-2030s. This one project would radically shift the entire province’s energy production paradigm. Harrison assured that “SaskPower will be life extending up to approximately 1500 MW of coal assets,” reinforcing the government’s commitment to maintaining current energy production levels during this transition.
I recognize that the dedicated men and women who work in these plants have faced a lot of uncertainty,” he conceded, touching on fears of lost jobs amid changing energy markets.
