Brian Zinchuk is editor and owner of Pipeline Online
In 2013, Boundary Dam Unit 3 was rebuilt. Photo by Brian Zinchuk
REGINA – On April 8, the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party released their “Grid and Growth Plan 2026 for Saskatchewan’s electrical grid. Pipeline Online provided in-depth coverage of it, starting with this piece.
On the same day, Saskatchewan Party Minister of Crown Investments Corp. and Minister Responsible for SaskPower Jeremy Harrison issued a statement by email in response to the NDP plan. Here’s his statement:
The long-awaited plan put forward by Carla Beck is not a serious plan — and it’s exactly why the NDP are not taken seriously when it comes to managing Saskatchewan’s energy security.
It does not include any actual costing, it is based on an unrealistic reliance on wind and solar, and most significantly for SaskPower households, it contains no commitment to keep the carbon tax off your power bills.
At its core, their approach would dismantle nearly one-third of our province’s baseload generation — the dependable, around-the-clock power that keeps the lights on — and replace it with intermittent sources that simply cannot do the same job.
Wind and solar have a role, but they do not produce power on demand, and they cannot replace reliable baseload generation. Pretending otherwise is not leadership — it is willful disregard for how an electricity system actually works.
The result of that approach is obvious. A less stable grid and increased reliance on imports from outside Saskatchewan. And ultimately, higher costs — at minimum doubling power rates for families and businesses.
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Their plan would put Saskatchewan completely at the mercy of external jurisdictions to keep our grid functioning. That is not energy security — it is energy dependence.
The NDP plan would also mean the immediate loss of at least 1,400 jobs and the devastation of two communities that rely on these facilities. Those are real people, real families, and real consequences — all ignored in favour of an ideological pursuit.
On top of that, their plan confirms what Saskatchewan people already know — the NDP remain unrequited in their commitment to bring back the federal carbon tax on SaskPower bills, driving costs even higher when families can least afford it.
And the economic damage doesn’t stop there. No serious investor would commit billions of dollars in a jurisdiction where power is unreliable and unaffordable. Projects like the proposed $12 billion Bell data centre depend on stable, dispatchable power.
Under the NDP’s approach, those opportunities disappear — along with the jobs and growth they would bring.
Our government is taking a different approach — one grounded in reality and one that puts Saskatchewan residents first. Extending the life of existing coal-fired generation ensures reliability, avoids $21 billion in unnecessary capital costs, and provides a stable bridge to the future, including nuclear generation powered by Saskatchewan uranium.
Saskatchewan residents expect a power system that works. This plan does not.
- 0120 2026 SK oil show attendee0120 2026 SK oil show attendee
- 0118 IBEW 30 sec0118 IBEW 30 sec
- 0119 Steffes Group System III Ltd Complete Dispersal P0119 Steffes Group System III Ltd Complete Dispersal P
- 0115 SaskPower SASPO_2817_PLT_Recruitment_DIVERSITY0115 SaskPower SASPO_2817_PLT_Recruitment_DIVERSITY
- 0114 Prospera Bold Vision0114 Prospera Bold Vision
- 0113 Miller Epic Cinematic Hollywood trailer0113 Miller Epic Cinematic Hollywood trailer
- 0085 Turnbull snow removal call office0085 Turnbull snow removal call office
- 0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended
- 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
- 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
- 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
- 0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
- 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
- 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
- 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
- 0021 OSY Rentals S8 Promo
- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
- 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
- 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
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