The new SaskPower power station to be slated for construction soon in the South East Industrial Park will be a state-of-the-art natural gas facility similar in style and design to the current brand-new station under construction near Swift Current.
The Chinook Power Station will be – upon its completion in mid-to-late 2019 – a hyper-modern facility capable of not only generating power from natural gas but also from wind and solar sources as available. A combined cycle natural gas facility, the plant takes natural gas and uses it in a combustion turbine, burning the gas to generate electricity. It then takes the heat from the turbine to generate steam, which generates more electricity.
Moose Jaw will carry much the same design, and through future public consultation and input, SaskPower will look to refine the project as much as possible in order to bring things in-line with community concerns.
Regardless, the power plant will be a major economic driver in the city over the next five years – government approvals are expected to take place through 2019, including provincial and federal environmental approvals. Construction could begin as early as 2020, with the plant going online in 2023-2034.
Using Swift Current as a look a potential benefits, approximately $120 million in contracts were awarded to businesses in Saskatchewan, with a further $40 million directly into the community itself through trades, hotels and gasoline, to name a few.
It's expected around 500 people will be working regularly during construction and at it's peak around 700 workers will be onsite.
The cash outlay doesn't include the massive infrastructure improvements SaskPower will be making to the site in general – from water lines to road improvements – that will further benefit South East Industrial Park clients in the future. The plant's existence as the anchor tenant in the area is expected to be especially beneficial in the future.
Once construction is complete, around 25 high-paying permanent jobs will be generated, paying in the area of $100K each.
