Brian Zinchuk is editor and owner of Pipeline Online
Here’s the heart of the new Aspen Power Station arriving near Lanigan. Photos courtesy SaskPower
SaskPower posted photos on Monday, July 7 of the arrival of the key components of the Aspen Power Station under construction near Lanigan.
That 370 megawatt power station is a combined cycle natural gas-fired plant, essentially a clone of the Great Plains Power Station at Moose Jaw that officially opened in December, 2024.
Its size and location are no coincidence. In questioning before a legislative committee a few years ago it was revealed that the expected power demand for the BHP Jansen Potash Mine, when fully built out, is 300 megawatts. And this power station will be close enough to the mine that you’ll be able to see one from the other. While Aspen isn’t being built specifically for Jansen alone, its strategic location and capacity are closely matched to the mine’s needs.
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There is one difference between Great Plains and Aspen is that Aspen can operate in combined cycle or simple cycle mode, while Great Plains is meant to only operate in combined cycle mode.
This is what SaskPower said in its social media posting:
We’re excited that the gas turbine and generator have both arrived safely to the site of our future Aspen Power Station west of Lanigan! These two important pieces of equipment journeyed thousands of kilometres by sea, rail and road to get here, starting in Germany where they were manufactured and reaching Saskatchewan in late June and early July.
More major equipment deliveries will continue throughout the summer as the 370-megawatt facility continues to take shape. Construction is now almost 16% complete. Aspen Power Station is on track to be online in 2027.
SaskPower’s 2024-25 annual report, released mid-June, said $420 million was spent on the projec that fiscal year, and “$594 million relates to the construction of the new Aspen Power Station,” for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
“The 370-MW natural gas-fired Aspen Power Station, located near Lanigan, is on target to begin delivering power to the grid in 2027,” the annual report said. Its estimated comissioning year is 2027-28. The annual report put the total cost at an estimated $1.7 billion. That is more than double the $825 million spent on Moose Jaw’s Great Plains Power Station, which is a nearly identical 370 megawatt facility.
Burns & McDonnell is SaskPower’s engineering, procurement and construction partner for the Aspen Power Station project.
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- 0100 Turnbull Project Manager0100 Turnbull Project Manager
- 0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
- 0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD0097 Eagle Sky Ventures LTD
- 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
- 0053 Kingston Midstream Westspur Alameda Click Before You Dig0053 Kingston Midstream Westspur Alameda Click Before You Dig
- 0092 Turnbull projects big and small0092 Turnbull projects big and small
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
- 0087 Lori Carr Coal Expansion0087 Lori Carr Coal Expansion
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- 0055 Smart Power Be Smart with your Power office0055 Smart Power Be Smart with your Power office
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- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
- 0021 OSY Rentals S8 Promo
- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
- 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
- 0006 JK Junior
- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
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