SaskPower, the main electric utility serving the southern-central Canadian province of Saskatchewan, is to invest C$ 71 million (US$ 55.6 million) into the upgrading and modernization of the 186 MW Coteau Creek hydroelectric plant over the next five years, to extend the operational life of the facility.
An additional C$ 12 million is also to be invested for infrastructure improvements as well as improvements in the plant’s security, heating and cooling systems, and control room systems. Located on the South Saskatchewan river about 110 km south of Saskatoon, the plant, which is equipped with three 62 MW generating units, was commissioned in 1969.
“SaskPower is on track to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030, and maintaining hydropower generation is a key part of this,” Howard Matthews, Vice President of Power Production at SaskPower, said. He added: “Investing in Coteau Creak shows SaskPower’s commitment to providing clean, reliable power to the people of the province.”
The utility is also carrying out the complete refurbishment of the 289 MW E.B. Campbell station, on the Saskatchewan river near Nipawin, which was commissioned in 1963. The refurbishment of all six units, which will continue until early 2025 at an estimated cost of about C$ 300 million, will extend the plant’s operating life by at least 50 years (see H&D Issue 3, 2021). SaskPower operates seven hydropower plants, with a total capacity of 864 MW, in southern Saskatchewan.
