Canada: CanWEA Applauds SaskPower’s Commitment to Add More Clean and Cost-effective Wind Energy to its Electricity Supply

The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) is pleased by SaskPower’s revised announcement today that it will significantly grow its installed wind energy capacity from just over 200 MW presently to potentially more than 2,000 MW by 2030. If fully implemented, this strengthened commitment would increase the percentage of Saskatchewan’s electricity produced from cost-competitive and clean wind energy from just under three per cent today to approximately 20 per cent by 2030 (representing 30 per cent of installed capacity).

“Saskatchewan’s tremendous wind energy resources have the potential to play a critical role in reducing the province’s greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation,” said CanWEA President Robert Hornung. “By fully implementing the target set out today, SaskPower would become a wind energy leader in Canada. In contemplating such a target, SaskPower is acknowledging that significantly more wind energy can be cost-effectively and reliably integrated into the electricity grid and the commitments made today represent an important step forward for wind energy in Saskatchewan.”

SaskPower’s commitment to expand wind energy production is part of a broader plan to grow the contribution of renewable energy sources to Saskatchewan’s electricity supply. In order to meet the targets set out in its new renewable energy plan, SaskPower intends to procure an initial 100 MW of new wind energy in 2016 and up to 1,600 MW of new wind energy between 2019 and 2030.

“CanWEA is confident that a 2016 call for proposals will attract significant interest from the wind energy industry, and will result in a highly competitive process that will ensure low cost supply for Saskatchewan ratepayers.” said Mr. Hornung.  “We look forward to working with SaskPower to ensure that it efficiently and effectively meets its wind energy targets and explores the potential for relying even more heavily on wind energy to provide clean, affordable and reliable power to the province over the next decade.”