REGINA — The provincial government has announced the release of a new report highlighting SaskPower's planned investments in the transmission system.
The report, released Monday, is called "Strengthening Saskatchewan's Grid: Transmission to Power Communities and Growth."
The report focuses on transmission. The province states in a news release that it believes a strong transmission system will enable large-scale industrial development, particularly for mining projects in the province's North. It said the report will supplement the Saskatchewan First Energy Security Strategy and Supply Plan released last fall.
According to the news release, SaskPower's long-term transmission investments will focus on the following:
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Reinforcing the existing grid to support reliability, safety and load growth across the province. This will, according to the report, include interconnecting new generation or customer loads; reinforcing the system for reliable operation and evaluating projects to address emerging needs aligning with strategic objectives; and maintaining performance of existing assets and managing risk.
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Developing new transmission in the far north, including a strategic initiative to connect Saskatchewan’s northern and southern electrical grids. The report states this will create a more integrated and resilient provincial electricity system for the first time, to support energy security and new industrial development.
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Expanding interconnections with neighbouring provinces and U.S. markets to improve resilience and create more opportunity for power imports and exports. The report notes work is underway to build new transmission lines linking Saskatchewan to the Southwest Power Pool, or SPP, by 2027, increasing access to the large U.S. market.
The items mentioned in this report are not new ideas. The province has been talking for the last year about the need to connect the north and south power systems, with Minister Responsible for SaskPower Jeremy Harrison saying last year that connecting the grids was something the government was going to take a hard look at. Right now, power is moved to the North through inter-ties with Manitoba, which Harrison has said is not ideal.
In a statement, Harrison pointed to the importance of transmission and transmission capacity to the power system in the province.
"Transmission is the backbone of Saskatchewan's power system and is critical to our energy security strategy," said Harrison following the release of the latest report.
"Expanding transmission capacity both within Saskatchewan and with our neighbours will support local industry, increase reliability and increase opportunities to export power for revenue."
"As demand for power grows, the transmission system must expand to keep pace," said SaskPower president and CEO Rupen Pandya in a statement.
"Our investments and major projects will continue to focus on securing reliable power to keep Saskatchewan and its economy strong and growing."
The latest report on SaskPower comes not long after SaskPower put into effect a power rate increase of 3.9 per cent starting Feb. 1, with opposition New Democrats raising concerns about the impact on affordability and on businesses. The rate increases for both 2026 and 2027 must still be approved by the Saskatchewan Rate Review Panel.
