SaskPower working on coal as new regulations become official

In just over a decade, two Saskatchewan power plants could be shuttered, thanks to federal regulations that became official this month.

The rules will effectively end conventional coal power generation in a bid to help Canada meet its emissions obligations in the Paris Climate Agreement.

It would impose stringent emissions targets on plants, forcing most, if not all, of them to close by the end of 2029.

As it stands now, the Boundary Dam Power Station would be the only one allowed to stay open past that date as its emissions are mitigated by Carbon Capture and Storage technology.

The other two power stations which use coal in the province are Shand and Poplar River, and SaskPower won’t just be closing those without any thought.

Trades in Sask.

Skilled trades need not limited to building homes

Apr 17, 2024

Raising concerns

Battlefords and Meadow Lake MPs weigh in on new federal budget

Apr 17, 2024

Tragic events

Sask. Gov't confirms investigation after former Pine Grove inmate passes away in hospital

Apr 16, 2024

“We are going to keep working with the Ministry of Environment and with Environment and Climate Change Canada to finalize an equivalency agreement that may enable some flexibility of operational dates for our coal facilities here in Saskatchewan,” explained Joel Cherry, a spokesperson with SaskPower.

If the province is able to reach an agreement for equivalent emissions reductions, some of the coal-fired fleet would be able to stay in operation past 2029.

SaskPower announced in the summer that it was looking into the viability of introducing carbon capture technology at the Shand Power Station. Cherry said the Crown corporation is still in the process of analyzing that possibility.

“We’re going to have to consider potential capital costs, market conditions for example in terms of alternatives such as the cost of natural gas, and the potential for CO2 sales from a CCS (carbon capture and storage) facility.”

The Poplar River facility is also being considered for such a change, but that’s in much earlier stages than with the Shand station.

If the facilities are going to be converted to carbon capture by the 2030 deadline in the new federal regulations, the decision will have to be made by 2024 or 2025, so Cherry said they have some time to make the decision.

He said SaskPower has been looking at these options, even before the federal government announced the possibility of these regulations. He said it’s part of the corporation’s commitment to reducing emissions. It’s also been making moves in other power-generating fields — renewable resources like buying hydroelectricity from Manitoba, and natural gas generation like the Chinook station and the new plant recently announced to be built in Moose Jaw’s industrial park.