Frequently Asked Questions

SaskPower will be the owner and operator of the plant(s). We’ll be looking for a partner to design and build the power station. We’re committed to making sure there are opportunities for Indigenous and local participation.

We’re looking at all opportunities for both our existing sites and for new sites as well. We’re considering things like expansion of generating capacity, addition of carbon capture and storage, and overall impacts to the existing facilities. We’ll compare that against new greenfield sites as we develop specific projects.

The look and footprint will be refined as SaskPower explores options and configurations. Typically, a single-cycle gas turbine (SCGT) requires a smaller footprint, such as our existing facilities at sites such as Landis and Yellowhead. A combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) with carbon capture and storage (CCS) could be about twice the size of our other CCGT power stations - Chinook and Great Plains.

When siting power projects, we seek input on our siting considerations to help inform our decisions. At a minimum, we consider: 

• Indigenous knowledge – the understanding, skills and philosophies developed by societies with long histories interacting with their natural surroundings like hunting, fishing, trapping, ceremonial, and spiritual uses. 
• Environment – waterbodies, land cover, wetlands, potential archaeology sites, impact on plant and animal habitats. 
• Social – landscapes, points of interest, economic benefits to local community, job opportunities, recreation activities. 
• Technical – access, terrain, design, system reliability, proximity to required/existing infrastructure. 
• Cost – capital costs, operating budget, land acquisition costs, impact on power rates. 
• Land use – access to resources, proximity to communities, community land use plans. 

We narrow down options for a potential site based on information we collect through studies and engagement activities with communities, stakeholders and Rightsholders in the study areas. We'll compile the feedback we hear through engagement and use it to inform the site selection process with the above siting considerations.

We completed a preliminary screening of areas suitable for the proposed plants. We based our siting area selections on:

• proximity to existing natural gas infrastructure 
• proximity to existing transmission facilities 
• available water supply in the area 
• suitable geology for carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage,
• meeting the load growth demands in southern Saskatchewan. 

We haven’t seen any negative impacts on surrounding property values resulting from our facilities.