SaskPower says it is investing in new and renovated buildings to move its Regina employees to six buildings in the Queen City, rather than the 13 they are currently in.
The Crown corporation says the plan will improve safety, efficiency and collaboration within SaskPower.
SaskPower recently purchased a downtown office building and a new Logistics Warehouse Complex. It is also renovating the downtown head office and the research facility at the Saskatchewan Science Centre.
When the multi-year plan is complete, SaskPower employees will work out of six buildings, rather than 13.
“More than a decade ago we started to see the need for a long-term plan for our many properties around Regina. Right now we have more than 1,600 staff spread across 13 locations in the area and bringing those people together where possible will immediately make our business more efficient,” SaskPower President and CEO Mike Marsh said in a news release. “At the same time, many of our facilities were built 50 or 60 years ago and are in need of renovations if we want people to continue working there safely. These projects will ensure the needs of our growing customer base are met now and in the future, while also providing a safe, sustainable and efficient workspace for our employees.”
The Crown purchased an office building at 2101 Scarth Street for $4.5 million. The corporation should take over the building in July, and employees from other sites will move in starting in 2021. The project will eliminate five other leases and save SaskPower around $1 million, the Crown says.
A Logistics Warehouse Complex on SaskPower-owned land at the Global Transportation Hub will replace other facilities that would need significant investment to continue operating. SaskPower says the new complex will house service and support operations, logistics metering, fleet, distribution and transmission operations. The first phase of design and construction costs approximately $67 million and should be complete in 2026, the Crown says.
SaskPower also plans to renovate its downtown headquarters over the next five years. Work will be done on a few floors at a time to reduce cost and impact on operations in the building.
The project will cost around $120 million with a projected completion date of 2023.
SaskPower also says it will invest around $7.5 million over the next three years to address maintenance issues at the research facility on Powerhouse Drive. That project will start later this year.
SaskPower says all of the investments will come from its existing capital budget.
