First utility-scale solar power project in Sask. now online
The first of four planned ten megawatt solar power facilities in Saskatchewan is now generating power for the grid southeast of Swift Current.
After a construction process that weathered both a Saskatchewan winter and COVID-19 related supply chain issues, Saskatoon-based MiEnergy and its president and CEO Kevin Bergeron welcomed the subtle whirring sound the 30,000-odd panels at the Highfield Solar Facility on the otherwise quiet southwestern landscape.
“Now that the facility is up and running on a nice sunny day like this, hearing that hum is a good reward,” Bergeron said. “As a company, we continue to build the largest solar projects in Saskatchewan. This is probably the tenth time we’ve built the largest and it keeps getting larger and larger. We definitely hope to continue on that trend.”
The Highfield array is owned and operated by Saturn Power, making it the company’s first facility in western Canada. It generates enough power for up to 2,500 homes annually.
“You have some of the best sunshine in Canada here in southern Saskatchewan, so it’s the perfect place for solar and there should be a lot more of it,” said Saturn Power co-founder, president and CEO Doug Wagner.
SaskPower then buys the power generated for the grid under a 20 year purchase agreement, instead of building a facility the crown corporation directly owns.
“One of the things about partnering with industry is they bring experiences that SaskPower doesn’t have. we are operators of the power system, operators of the grid,” said Kory Hayko, vice president of SaskPower. “We partner with folks who know and have the knowledge and the expertise and the experience to bring a project like this online.”
Highfield is close to SaskPower’s Centennial Wind Power Facility, the weather conditions at Friday’s ribbon cutting serving as an example as to why the two facilities were built close together.
“Today with the wind not blowing, the sun is shining, diversity creates risk reduction for us. Our customers expect reliable power. So we want to make sure we can continue to deliver that to them every single day and this is part of that solution,” Hayko said.
Highfield is the province’s first utility-scale solar project and went online in September 2021 with three others in different phases of construction.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.