Since it will take plenty of energy to power the Moose Jaw Agri-Food Industrial Park once it is fully operational, geothermal energy could be one method to support that area.
During its recent regular meeting, city council voted unanimously to approve a proposal from businessman Steve Halabura for a geothermal project in the Galilee area south of Moose Jaw and a preliminary economic assessment of the development of the city’s geothermal energy resource for agri-food production.
Funding of $54,186 for the assessment is to come from the municipality’s land development reserve account.
Halabura is a professional geologist of 40 years and former president of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS).
During a media scrum after the meeting, Mayor Fraser Tolmie explained that Halabura approached the city about harnessing the existing geothermal technology in the area.
“Council is looking to partner and invest as a way of looking for another economy for this community, and so we’re looking at ways geothermal technology can be introduced into potentially the industrial park,” the mayor said, including its use in the agriculture sector and other sectors such as tourism.
Temple Gardens Minerals Spa currently uses the underground liquid as part of the services it offers.
“We’re realizing that the global economy is changing and we have to adapt,” Tolmie said, “and people are being less reliant on fossil fuels. So what does the potential of that industry (geothermal) look like in the City of Moose Jaw in the future?”
After the economic assessment is completed, city hall can use that document when advertising the industrial park within city-produced literature, he added, or when speaking to businesses that might want that technology to power their manufacturing plants or for other uses such as in greenhouses.
SaskPower fire services agreement
Earlier in the meeting, council voted unanimously to authorize the city clerk and mayor to sign a fire services agreement with SaskPower. This would see the Moose Jaw Fire Department provide emergency rescue services, firefighting services and fire prevention services to the Crown corporation’s Great Plains Power Station once it is built near the industrial park.
SaskPower expects the power plant to become operational on Jan. 1, 2024, which is when this agreement would commence, legal counsel Elaine Anderson explained. During construction of the plant, however, the fire department would not provide any coverage.
According to the agreement, SaskPower will pay the City of Moose Jaw an annual retainer fee of $15,000 to cover equipment and training costs associated with providing fire-related services. Meanwhile, the municipality will charge SaskPower $953.59 for each hour that the city accrues while responding to an emergency rescue response, along with out-of-pocket costs for meals.
This fee, the agreement added, is equal to the Saskatchewan Government Insurance policy on fire suppression productive call rate.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Feb. 1.
