Potential Natural Gas Power Station Sites

This is a summary of the conversations we had with stakeholders so far. This information has been shared with the project team. The project team is reviewing feedback and will adjust the siting criteria, where applicable. If we’ve missed or misrepresented anything, please reach out to us. Bolded text (sub-bullets) reflects our response based on information that was available.

Rowatt Area-Specific Comments

• Avoid occupying prime farmland; go to Belle Plaine where industrial development is present.
• Concerns with further land fragmentation due to various developments impacting the area. Examples include the Regina Bypass, SaskPower and SaskEnergy projects, and renewable energy proposals.

Belle Plaine-Specific Comments

• Why hasn’t SaskPower looked north of Highway #1?
  • Sites on the north side of Highway #1 were explored in previous siting expeditions. They were deemed unsuitable for future development due to active mining zones and ground conditions.
• There is an ongoing drainage project in the area between Highway #1 and Highway #39.
• Concerns with safety along Highway #1. The area is already busy with industrial traffic and safety is a concern at all crossings.
• A private company (Whitecap) has approached landowners about carbon capture and storage.
• New industrial developments, such as Eaglesledge Energy, are expected north of Highway #1.
• Industrial customers have expressed interest in building generation projects that will support the SaskPower grid in this area.

Swift Current-Specific Comments

• Some noise concerns from landowners surrounding the Chinook Power Station.
  • Some construction stages have unavoidable noisy activities – pile driving and steam blows. The noise will be intermittent. The highest noise recorded when we built the Chinook Power Station was 85 dB. As a reference, a vacuum cleaner is around 70 dB in use. We’ll do our best to let nearby landowners know about pile driving and steam blows in advance.
  • During operation, SaskPower monitors noise output and strives to reduce noise levels.
• Theft increased in the area during the construction of the Chinook Power Station.
• Concerns with yellow emissions coming out of the stacks of the Chinook Power Station.
  • Chemical reactions involving nitrogen oxides or other byproducts of combustion may cause flue gas from the facility to be visible. We always strive to operate generation facilities efficiently to reduce emissions. SaskPower also reports its emissions annually to the provincial and federal governments.

General Project Comments

Communication

• Landowners appreciated having project information and engagement opportunities early in the siting process.
• Large industrial customers want to actively explore opportunities to build power generation projects that align with SaskPower’s plans. They see potential alignment between their medium-term growth plans and SaskPower’s generation needs in that same timeframe.

Potential Future Infrastructure

• Concerns with more infrastructure in areas that have existing transmission and distribution infrastructure.
• Concerns about using natural gas when there are viable renewable energy alternatives.
• Inquiries about underground transmission to lessen the impact on landowners.
  • Underground power lines have several drawbacks preventing them from being a feasible option. They are significantly more expensive and difficult to maintain due to reduced accessibility.

Compensation and Land Value

• Landowners have concerns about the potential loss of land value.
  • SaskPower has not seen any negative impacts on property values resulting from our facilities.
• Private companies have secured land options from some landowners for potential wind or solar projects.

Reduce impact on residences

• Build as far from residences as possible.
• Maintain adequate road conditions and access during and after construction to existing residences.

Reduce impact on agricultural operations

• Transmission infrastructure impacts agriculture operations. This includes reduced clearances for farm equipment and having to navigate between poles.

Impact on the environment

• Concerns about weed reduction program around current transmission infrastructure.
  • SaskPower currently has a weed control program. Landowners can get paid a nominal fee per structure each year to handle weeds themselves. They may also arrange for SaskPower to spray weeds once a year. This program applies only to structures on cultivated land.

Construction

• Concern over traffic congestion in the area during the construction phases.
• Use dust control measures for the affected roads and construction sites. This will lessen the impact on nearby residences.

What's Next

We’re using this feedback to help inform our siting considerations. We use these considerations to recommend sites for new natural gas power generation. We’ll share the recommended sites in early 2025. There’ll be opportunities for landowners to provide their feedback as the project advances. We’ll also discuss potential accommodations to address the concerns we’ve heard. We’ll continue to try to connect with anyone we haven’t reached. If you know of anyone who hasn’t provided feedback, please encourage them to reach out. We’re also studying other areas in the province for potential natural gas power generation sites. We’ll share more information about those areas in the future.

You may call toll-free 1-833-500-5501 or email PublicEngagement@saskpower.com if you have any further questions or comments.