LLOYDMINSTER, Sask. — Premier Scott Moe was bullish about the energy possibilities for Saskatchewan while at the Lloydminster Heavy Oil Show.
Moe pointed to oil and energy opportunities in speaking to reporters, but he also made news that day at the oil show by suggesting that one or even two large-scale 1,000-megawatt nuclear reactors could be built nearby in northwest Saskatchewan.
In speaking to reporters, Moe explained the province is looking to “increase the generational supply that we have in the province to support … the growing economy that we have in Saskatchewan, of which there currently is just over $100 billion of private sector capital that is underway, is being constructed as we speak.”
Moe said the province’s power needs are “going to increase and increase substantially, and we have been very open about the fact that we're looking at increased nuclear power in the Estevan area, but also to power some of the energy investment that we see coming, some of the mining investment that we see coming, being built, as we speak, just north of here in the uranium sector to ensure that we're able to power that as well.”
Moe also pointed to work done a decade earlier on the potential Bruce Power nuclear reactor project in the northwest region, which ultimately did not come to fruition.
“We've done a fair amount of work over a decade ago on various sites along the North Saskatchewan River, and we're … reviving some of that information and looking at how are we going to be able to move forward with a nuclear site here in the western side of the province to power what is going to be needed in the years ahead.”
He also welcomed some federal moves such as the “removal of Bill C-69,” as well as the capital cost incentive announced this week to attract “billion-dollar projects to Canada, and that includes Saskatchewan, it includes the energy industry, it includes the nuclear industry.”
He also welcomed the opportunity to move forward in Canada with what was called “one project, one review, one year.”
“That is key, and this is language that we have not heard out of any federal government for over a decade. And so we welcome those policy shifts. Those are going to make the opportunity for investment to flow very real, and it's going to make the opportunity for us to invest not only in ensuring that we can attract that private sector investment, but invest in likely public infrastructure so that we can power our future in an affordable and reliable way.”
On oil production, Moe was asked in Lloydminster about his desire to increase oil production to 600,000 or eventually one million barrels. He was asked about the potential in the northwest region in particular.
“I think there's still some opportunities in other areas of the province as well,” Moe said. “But a significant outbuild, I believe, we are on the cusp of in this heavy oil area — unlike we've seen for decades.”
He pointed to advancements in technology and innovation that “really advance in how we extract additional barrels out of the heavy oil play that we have, how we do it in a more sustainable way.” But he also pointed to “policy initiatives from the federal government aligned with policy initiatives in support of policy from the provincial government to really make that possible.”
Moe also pointed to the Canada Investment Summit held earlier that week in Toronto.
Moe said he thought “bringing everyone into the room — the proponents that are investing and operating the actual projects in this part of the world and that global investment community are really going to provide an opportunity to unlock some of those dollars,” and use the policies that are going to be coming into place to “see a significant outbuild of the infrastructure, the oil and gas infrastructure in this part of the world, ultimately increase markedly the barrels per day that we see coming out of both Saskatchewan and Alberta.”
“And I would say with some proper and collaborative discussions across Canada, possibly even having true energy security across our nation rather than relying on other nations to help us through that. So all good policy discussions.”
AI data centre a hot topic
Another issue this week that touched on the energy and resource sector was the news of the major expansion of the Bell AI data centre project south of Regina to 1.2 gigawatts.
Moe was asked about concerns raised by people about water security and the environmental impact.
“Well, there are fair questions and to each of those fair questions there's very straightforward answers as well,” Moe said.
Moe noted the Bell AI data centre is “going to bring their own” electricity. “Saskatchewan families aren't going to pay for it.”
As for water usage, “it's like the car that we drive,” Moe said.
“It has a radiator, it cools the water. It actually doesn't use water, it uses less water than a hockey rink or a golf course. And so those are fair questions, questions that I would have. The answers are fairly straightforward and understandable as well.”
Moe said the opportunity with the AI data centre “comes not only in the construction of this facility. The opportunity also comes in the ongoing careers that this facility will provide.”
He said this was one of the very first questions the government had put to numerous proponents that wanted to build a data centre: “what are you bringing in the way of careers to our community?”
“This one is over 600 ongoing careers directly and over 3,000 indirect careers that will be a benefit of what is the single largest investment in Canada's history.”
He said out of those 600 direct jobs are “100 head office jobs that are coming as Bell starts to build out their data centre head office capacity right here in the province of Saskatchewan.”
“Those are the benefits which are in the scope of what the benefits would be provided when we see a new mine site being invested in or a couple of new thermal plants in the energy industry here as well. The benefits are in careers and opportunities for years and generations to come.”
On procurement
Premier Moe was also asked about the Opposition NDP’s latest call for the province to ban U.S. procurement, on the heels of President Donald Trump signing an presidential memoradum banning Canadian goods from procurement.
Moe pointed to most Government of Saskatchewan procurement already going to Saskatchewan companies.
“99 per cent of government procurement is to Canadian companies today. 94 per cent of Government of Saskatchewan procurement is to Saskatchewan companies today. So I have no idea what they're talking about and this is why nobody can ever take anything they say seriously.”
