With hundreds of workers on site and most major equipment delivered, SaskPower’s Great Plains Power Station project near Moose Jaw is now more than 60 per cent complete.
“Currently, 84 per cent of the more than 500 workers on site are from Saskatchewan, and 17 per cent are from Moose Jaw,” said Don Morgan, minister Responsible for SaskPower. “In total, we expect Great Plains to require 1.5 million hours of labour, and the strong local presence on-site means many Saskatchewan people will directly benefit from the project.”
Later this year, construction activity will peak with more than 600 workers on-site daily. The project, which started in March 2021, remains scheduled to be completed in 2024.
“To date, the Great Plains project has seen $122 million in local support, including $23 million in Indigenous support,” said Rupen Pandya, SaskPower president and CEO. “This already more than doubles the $10 million in Indigenous participation achieved on the similar Chinook Power Station project, which completed in 2019.”
When complete, Great Plains will generate 360 megawatts of baseload electricity and provide power for about 360,000 homes in the province. Baseload power sources such as natural gas ensure power is available to meet customer demand 24/7 and support the deployment of intermittent renewables such as wind and solar.
SaskPower is on track to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030 and considering multiple options to achieve net-zero emissions as soon as possible beyond that, the Crown corporation said.
Combined cycle natural gas plants such as Great Plains Power Station generate less than half the emissions of a conventional coal plant, which is why natural gas is a crucial tool in the transition toward a clean energy future.
SaskPower’s website lists the progress made on construction since fall 2020. This fall, the steam turbine and generator arrived; steel erection and insulation installations continued to support enclosing the building; powerhouse mechanical and electrical installations were in progress; two of 14 fan decks/heat exchangers were placed for the air-cooled condenser; and switchyard construction began.
Visit saskpower.com/greatplains to access more information about the latest progress on the project.
