Q&As

As power capacity and demand continues to increase, we need to upgrade the existing infrastructure to ensure the system continues to be reliable. Our existing transmission infrastructure in the area was built in the 1950s. It moves a high volume of power from our Nipawin and E.B Campbell hydro power plants and from Manitoba Hydro to feed communities along the way and in the south of the province.

For this project, we’re using H-shaped transmission line structures. Here’s a picture of what it could look like when finished:

The new line will help us restore power faster in the event of an outage in the area. Without reinforcing the system, there could be an issue with overloading if the other power infrastructure serving the area has equipment failure. This could result in a long outage for our customers in urban and remote communities until our team can complete repairs.

Not yet. Engagement with Rightsholders and stakeholders is important to us. We’re early in the project stages and we need your participation to help us reach a decision. We’ve developed some route options and we’re looking for feedback to help us better understand the project area, how you see the project impacting you, and how we can reduce impacts. After this initial stakeholder engagement, we’ll use the feedback we receive plus our routing considerations to narrow the route options down to a preferred route that we’ll build.

Short answer, no. International health agencies, such as Health Canada, and a large number of independent scientific bodies have been unable to establish any associated health risks from exposure to extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields (EMF).

Extremely low frequency EMFs are around us every day. They’re found wherever we use electricity – whether that’s a television, microwave oven, electric stove, a computer, a hair dryer, cell phones, Wi-Fi, a power line or a smart meter. Most of our daily exposure comes from appliances that are a regular part of our lives. SaskPower’s equipment makes up a small amount of the EMFs we encounter every day.

We design and operate our electrical generation, transmission and distribution systems to comply with recognized standards, including maintaining safe distances from habitable residences, and we provide EMF estimates for proposed electrical facilities. This ensures that we comply and cooperate with regulatory agencies established at both the provincial and federal levels.

You're welcome to request an EMF reading around residential, commercial and public buildings.

We’re building one single circuit 230-kilovolt (kV) power line that’s about 122 kilometres long from Beatty Switching Station to an existing line near the village of Jansen. Once we’ve narrowed down the route options to a preferred route corridor, we’ll need a 40-metre (m) easement for the new power line right of way.

Once the project scope was finalized, we identified the end points that helped frame the project study area. Next, we completed desktop analysis using sources such as HABISask, Google Maps etc. to identify key features in the project area. Some of those attributes include environmental and archeological features within the area. Other features we consider include land use, nearby residences, existing infrastructures including gas line, highways, rail tracks, etc. Each of these features have setback requirements. We also visited the project area and contacted the Ministry of Environment and rural municipalities in the area for their initial feedback. This helped to support our understanding of the project area. We then carefully identified initial route options that meet technical requirements.

We’re now reaching out to the public to learn more about the project area and what’s important to you and your neighbours. This will help us further review and assess the initial route options as needed.

Choosing routes for transmission lines is never an easy task. There are pros and cons to every option and many routing considerations. Participation from Rightsholders and stakeholders is important in our planning process, and we want to hear all perspectives on the route options. To help us find a final route, we work with Rightsholders and stakeholders using our routing considerations to understand what’s important at community and individual levels. Next, we carefully apply what we’ve learned to assess each route option to see which one has the least impact on what the community prioritizes, while meeting SaskPower’s technical requirements.

Sometimes you can hear low-level noise when driving or walking near a high voltage power line. Electric fields can sometimes become concentrated around a transmission line and create a small discharge. This type of discharge is called a corona and it ionizes the air around the conductor wire. Conductor voltage, shape and diameter as well as scratches, dust and water on the wire can affect the creation of coronas. When a corona forms, there can be audible noise coming from the transmission line. Because corona can contribute to energy losses, transmission lines are designed so that, normally, they do not produce corona.

The easement is limited to the width of the right-of-way (ROW) that is acquired for a power line. For this project, the ROW is 40 metres (m) wide for the 230 kV line. ROWs are required for public safety and safe construction, operation and maintenance of the transmission line. We will not allow any dwelling or permanent structure within this ROW. We don't limit how the land outside the ROW is used. If you're using the area outside the ROW, ensure that your activities do not cause public safety issues or block safe operation of the line.

We recognize that building new facilities will impact some Rightsholders, landowners and other stakeholders. That’s why we’re engaging with them to understand what matters to them as we plan the project. If the final route for the new power line is going through your property, we’ll reach out to you to discuss an easement and compensation. We’ll also look at any accommodation we can make with structure placement to reduce impacts as best as possible.

We acknowledge that trees hold cultural, economic, social and aesthetic values. And in some cases, they’re used as shelter belts and to provide privacy for homesteads. For public safety, no permanent structure, including trees, are allowed in the ROW. Prior to construction, we clear vegetation along the ROW, including trees that are likely to grow into energized power lines. This process also helps reduce the number of power outages.

You cannot tap directly from a transmission line because the power travelling through a transmission line is not suited for your home or business appliances and equipment.

A transmission line is a high-capacity line moving electricity current from a power generation plant to a switching station or from one switching station to another. To make it safe for your home appliances or office equipment, the power is channeled through a substation where the power level is stepped down before supplying it to our customers through distribution lines. These are smaller single poles typically in the road allowance.

A typical single circuit transmission line	A typical distribution line

The new line will be built overhead. The 230 kV lines are high-capacity lines. They move power from a source to a station before it is distributed to homes and businesses. It would cost significantly more to bury and maintain these types of lines. Compared to overhead lines, it also takes longer to find and fix problems with underground lines, especially in the winter when the ground is frozen.

We’re committed to fair and transparent procurement practices. You can find more information at Doing Business with SaskPower or email our Supplier Relationship Management team.

You can share your comments in several ways:

• Attending our public engagement events
• Completing a survey at saskpower.com/MelfortLanigan
• Contact us at:
  • Indigenous Relations
    • Email
    • 306-539-8647
  • Stakeholder Relations
    • Email
    • 1-833-223-3370
    • 306-934-7742