January 6, 2017
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Wind power project proposed in Blue Hills, Sask.; Algonquin Power tries again after Chaplin plan rejected
CBC News | Jan 05, 2017 | www.cbc.ca
CBC News | Jan 05, 2017 | www.cbc.ca
Algonquin Power is taking another stab at a wind power project in Saskatchewan, after its original location near Chaplin raised environmental concerns.
It’s now eyeing a 177-megawatt wind project in the Blue Hills area of southwest Saskatchewan. The proposed site is between Herbert and Neidpath, east of Swift Current.
The provincial government rejected Algonquin’s original Chaplin site near a shorebird habitat.
“The location and the size of this project were the concerns that the public raised,” said Environment Minister Scott Moe at the time. “They were quite frankly the concerns that were raised through the scientific portion of the environmental assessment as well.”
Regulatory approval needed
The proposed new site still has to be approved by regulators.
“The Blue Hills project plays a key role in our ability to achieve our goal of doubling our renewable generating capacity by 2030,” said Mike Marsh, SaskPower’s CEO, in a press release.
“We’re expecting wind power to make up about 30 per cent of our capacity within that same timeframe, so we anticipate there will be many more opportunities for wind and other renewable energy projects in the future.”
If the Blue Hills project gets the green light, it could be in service as early as 2020.