REGINA -- Customer demand increased for the fifth year in a row for SaskEnergy, according to the Crown corporation’s annual report released Tuesday.

SaskEnergy saw its highest day of natural gas consumption to date with 1.55 petajoules on Jan. 15, 2020.

The Crown corp. spent $330 million on storage and delivery capacity in the 2019-20 financial year, and dropped rates to coincide with the low economic value of natural gas.

“SaskEnergy continues to deliver value to its customers and achieve strong results in safety and fiscal management,” Minister Responsible for SaskEnergy Bronwyn Eyre said. “The corporation has attracted 2,500 new distribution customers, and its overall customer base is expected to reach 400,000 in 2020-21. SaskEnergy is well-positioned to meet the province’s natural gas requirements, and its continued investment in infrastructure will help foster our province’s economic recovery.”

SaskEnergy says its total utility rate ranks the third-lowest in the country.