Brian Zinchuk is editor and owner of Pipeline Online
In asking hard questions about the NDP’s numbers for the cost of natural gas fuel, no hard numbers were given in reply
NDP Leader Carla Beck, speaking in Moose Jaw on June 12. Photo by Brian Zinchuk
MOOSE JAW – In April, the Saskatchewan NDP released its “Grid and Growth Plan 2026,” arguably its most significant policy piece in recent years, which defines how it would adapt and position the Saskatchewan power grid for decades to come. The dollar figures would be some of the most expensive spending items this province undertakes, and would impact everyone and the economy as a whole.
That plan focuses on using natural gas power generation for baseload power, eventually ending coal-fired power “as practical,” and the development of large-scale nuclear powe
Pipeline Online has written extensively about this plan in detail, including republishing the entire plan, all of which you can find here. Over the last two months, the NDP have taken their Grid and Growth Plan on the road, hosting town halls in various communities. To date, Prince Albert and Yorkton were the first, and Moose Jaw took place on June 12.
When asked when they would be coming to Estevan, Young said to ask Estevan Mayor Tony Sernick. He declined to comment.
However, after several questions in this regard, it seemed clear that the NDP does not have a town hall in Estevan planned, despite the majority of the 1,400 coal-related jobs being based in and around Estevan.
Prologue
The media have not been invited to these “public” events. While social media posts on social media for both NDP Leader Carla Beck and SaskPower Shadow Minister Aleana Young invited the public to attend, the Moose Jaw event was not included in the NDP’s morning briefing email which informs Saskatchewan media where they will be hosting their typical two, and sometimes more, press conferences that day.
Young’s post on LinkedIn said, “I’d Love to see you there”
The advertisement asked those interested to pre-register. Pipeline Online did this, and was told by email, “Thanks for your interest in attending the Fireside Chat with Opposition Leader Carla Beck and MLA Aleana Young on the Saskatchewan NDP’s Grid and Growth Plan. This event is tailored to Moose Jaw community leaders, businesses, and industry to engage on the future of Saskatchewan’s economy, power grid and growth opportunities.
“As such, this event is closed off to the media to allow for a fulsome conversation.”
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Since it seemed this was being co-ordinated with the Moose Jaw Chamber of Commerce, Pipeline Online paid the $125 plus tax that afternoon to become the newest member of the Moose Jaw Chamber. After all, Pipeline Online is a provincially focused publication, and the Moose Jaw Refinery and Great Plains Power Station have both been covered by it.
Pipeline Online arrived at the Grant Hall Hotel and proceeded to set up a camcorder to record the event. NDP officials said that wouldn’t be allowed, and the event was not to be recorded. They were then told, “Last week I asked Premier Moe if I could record his speech to the oil show, and he said, ‘I assume everything I say is recorded, go ahead.’”
That video, and the full transcript of the speech, were the lead story on Pipeline Online the morning of June 12.
Thus, the intention was to show the same level of coverage of the leader of the NDP, and of their major energy policy piece, and the party officials were told as such. So was Beck. Still, the officials said recording would not be allowed, or Pipeline Online would be asked to leave. So the camcorder was packed up, and the pen and notepad came out. Thus, this story is from handwritten notes.
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Presentation
There were approximately 17 people present plus several NDP officials, Beck, Young, and the moderator, Glenn Hagel, formerly NDP MLA, cabinet minister, speaker and mayor of Moose Jaw. Of those 17, three were members of the United Mine Workers of America, coal miners from Estevan.
Hagel noted the focus would be on questions and responses.
Beck said they’ve been on the road with their plan for 60 to 90 days now, and that it was released over 900 days before the next election.
She said choices made now would have a long lasting impact. She described the plan as practical and grounded in evidence. She spoke of growing the economy and long-term success.
Young started out by saying back in January, 2025, she was alerted of a major shift in government policy with regards to coal as a result of a Pipeline Online article. She has been on the SaskPower file since she was elected six years prior. Young said the Government of Saskatchewan, along with other governments, had been on a policy path for 15 years to shut down coal. This new path would be very different than what SaskPower had been planning for many years. As a result, they hired a Quebec firm to look into it and look at different scenarios, including nuclear power generation.
Young noted the timelines for nuclear are long, and it can be very expensive. “Electricity is foundational to our economy,” she said.
In recognizing the miners who work for Westmoreland, Young said their plan isn’t focused on shutting down coal tomorrow or anytime soon (a frequent refrain from Young.) But she did say something new: In previous comments, Young has spoken of running the coal fleet as long “as practical.” This time, she said that likely means into the 2040s – the first time Pipeline Online has heard the NDP put a date on “as practical.”
Young said the Saskatchewan Party’s plan was the “most expensive plan,” and she reiterated leaked documents which including operational costs for fuel and transmission line upgrades as part of a $26 billion figure – more on that later.
Young said the government hasn’t built enough of anything over the past 20 years when it comes to electricity.
Editor’s note: For the record, over the last 18.5 years, the following notable power generating facilities have been built in Saskatchewan, most of which are independent power producers (IPP), but major gas facilities are SaskPower, with their output in megawatts. The first three were likely sanctioned under the previous NDP government.
- Ermine Power Station (SaskPower, gas, 136 MW since 2025 upgrade)
- North Battleford Power Station (IPP, gas, 289 MW)
- Yellowhead Power Station (SaskPower, gas 135 MW)
- Boundary Dam Unit 3 Integrated Carbon Capture and Storage Project (SaskPower, coal, ~155 MW gross, ~110 MW net)
- Spy Hill Power Station (SaskPower, gas, 89 MW)
- Chinook Power Station (SaskPower, gas, 353 MW)
- Golden South Wind Facility (IPP, wind 135 MW)
- Blue Hill Wind Facility (IPP, wind, 175 MW)
- Western Lilly Wind Power Facility (IPP, wind, 20 MW)
- Red Lilly Wind Power Facility (IPP, wind, 26 MW)
- Meadow Lake Tribal Council Bio (IPP, biomass, 8 MW)
- Highfield Solar Energy Facility (IPP, solar, 10 MW)
- Pesâkâstêw Solar Facility (IPP, solar, 10 MW)
- Awasis Solar Facility (IPP, solar, 10 MW)
- Bekevar Wind Facility (IPP, wind, 200 MW)
- Great Plains Power Station (SaskPower, gas, 370 MW)
That’s 16 of the current 39 generating facilities SaskPower currently lists on its grid system map page. Three more projects are under construction:
- Aspen Power Station (SaskPower, gas, 370 MW)
- Turning Sun Solar (IPP, solar, 100 MW)
- Rose Valley Wind Project (IPP, wind, 210 MW)
And a further two are in the works:
- Seven Stars Energy Project (IPP, wind, 200 MW)
- Southern Springs Solar Project (IPP, solar, 100 MW)
Plus refurbishment work is underway for the entire seven generators of the coal fleet.
As Pipeline Online has previously reported, nearly all of the grid-scale wind capacity and all of the grid scale solar capacity in Saskatchewan has been built under the Saskatchewan Party government. Additionally, major planning work has begun on small modular reactors, and technology selection has begun on large nuclear reactors.
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Questions, starting with why don’t we already have nuclear power?
With that, moderator Hagel opened up the floor for questions.
The first question asked why there isn’t already nuclear power in Saskatchewan. Notably Hagel was a former NDP cabinet minister whose government did not build nuclear during its most recent time in power.
Young said, “It is a glaring omission,” and added there have been “some real ups and downs in the nuclear industry.”
She pointed out that British Columbia and the East Coast have ample hydro electricity, Alberta has natural gas, and Saskatchewan has the highest quality uranium. She notably did not mention that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Nova Scotia also have coal.
AtkinsRéalis launched the CANDU MONARK reactor on Nov. 28 2023, a 1000 megawatt design. AtkinsRéalis
Young said that former NDP Premier Allen Blakeney had said in the 1990s he regretting not having built nuclear power. Young, herself, said, “We could, probably should have decades ago.”
Beck said the absence of nuclear power generation in Saskatchewan was in part because the Canadian-designed CANDU reactors were too big for Saskatchewan, but she added, “although exporting power is not a bad idea, either.”
Young added that there is a shift in current thinking from small to large reactors, noting in recent days New Brunswick had ended its plans for small modular reactors. (The Moncton Telegraph-Journal reports that new nuclear is not included in New Brunswick’s updated power generation plan.)
Young said having more power become more economic, compared to 20 years ago.
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She also explained that there are regulatory requirements with respect to the largest generator in a grid. “If you have a 1,000 megawatt reactor, you need another 1,000 megawatt reactor,” she said.
Young added the federal government had paid for part of the current SMR project under construction in Ontario, and should do the same for Saskatchewan.
Young also spoke of expanding interties, particularly to Manitoba, and alluded to the possibility of co-ownership of nuclear facilities.
The next question asked of the NDP’s four power scenarios. Young said two include nuclear. “We believe in keeping all our assets. We should refurbish our coal plants to natural gas,” she said, noting some former coal plants in Alberta were retrofitted to natural gas fuel. She said it was the fastest and most affordable option.
Young added that British Columbia, too, has realized it will need to build natural gas-fired power generation.
NDP Leader Carla Beck, speaking in Moose Jaw on June 12. Photo by Brian Zinchuk
How do you make sure nuclear actually gets built?
The next question asked if nuclear was chosen, how can they ensure it would not be halted?
Beck noted energy generation is “highly divisive.” But added power will be required as a “generational investment” to power everything from electric vehicles and artificial intelligence to new mines.
“As long as it is so highly polarized, it does lead to instability,” she said, adding, “We should put the pieces on the table – don’t douse it with division, but build consensus.”
Young said the nuclear industry doesn’t want to see another fight over nuclear, resulting a delay lasting another generation in time.
As for coal, she said, “It was never about coal, for us. It comes down to cost.”
She listed numbers the NDP published from a leaked document regarding operating coal to 2050, saying that included $11.5 billion for capital, $13 billion for fuel and $1.4 billion for transmission.
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Miner asks about economic impact
David Grass, a coal miner who works in providing that fuel, took Young to task on that. He pointed out that SaskPower owns the coal, and that the fuel cost for coal is the cost of the acquisition of the coal, the mining of it, not the fuel itself.
“That’s where the coal miners come in,” he said, adding their wages and taxes stay in Saskatchewan.
He pointed out that money is “plowed back into Saskatchewan,” and that the Estevan area sees $1.4 billion per year in economic benefits.
The alternative, he pointed out, would be the need to build four more gas-fired plants to make up for the 1,500 megawatts of coal capacity. And those plants wouldn’t have many employees, either.
Grass said for natural gas, 90 per cent of it would be coming from Alberta, “so the money you spend on fuel there is leaving Saskatchewan and not coming back, whereas that $13 billion is coming back into Saskatchewan.”
Young said she didn’t disagree that money going to salaries remain in Saskatchewan. But she said “$13 billion is a huge figure.”
For context, SaskPower’s recent annual reports show $313 million per year for coal fuel cost. That number is based on reduced coal usage, as Boundary Dam Units 4 and 5 were retired, but have since been brought back into operation.
Coal miners working east of Shand Power Station on March 23. Photo by Brian Zinchuk
Of that $313 million, approximately $25 million goes back to the province for coal royalties, which is why the minister for SaskPower refers to the coal as “free,” because the coal essentially is. It’s the mining that makes up the remainder of that $313. And Pipeline Online had previously checked with Westmoreland – nearly all of that money stays within Saskatchewan. While yes, some does go to Westmoreland’s corporate needs and profits, the bulk of that is spent on worker salaries, equipment, support services like machine shops, crane, hydraulics, fuel supply, and the like.
Young acknowledged that $25 million in coal royalties, and that money goes to equipment, and profit for shareholders, “which isn’t a bad thing.”
She said she has a lot of questions about that fuel cost, and that Ontario is able to provide nuclear power to the tune of 7,000 megawatts, with a total fuel cost of under $300 million per year. “I don’t understand that cost,” Young said of coal.
UMWA financial secretary Ashley Johnson at the microphone in the Legislature on May 11, 2026. Photo by Brian Zinchuk
Grass countered that there’s 340 miners, plus 100 management, at the mines, and the total coal workforce is around 1,400. He pointed out that some of the economic spinoff comes back to Moose Jaw, too. “That money is recirculated back into Saskatchewan,” he said. “What I’m getting at is when you’re buying fuel from Alberta, that money leaves, and goes to another province.”
Beck pointed out a freedom of information request went over 250 days, and the response was mostly redacted.
“In terms of ensuring that we are retaining value and jobs, here in Saskatchewan, absolutely, that’s the case,” she said. But she added the NDP has not been able to get answers on the $13 billion fuel cost in the leaked document.
As for nuclear, Young spoke about the supply chains for reactors. She made oblique references to the CANDU reactor having its supply chain in Canada, subtly but not directly inferring a dig at the competitor Westinghouse AP1000 design.
In recent years Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management and Cameco purchased 51/49 per cent of Westinghouse. But the AP1000 has not been built, yet, in Canada, and therefore currently has an American supply chain. (Westinghouse is working on developing a Canadian supply chain, and in November, 2024, held a conference in Saskatoon to that effect).
Beck also said the plan to refurbish coal came out shortly after the fall 2024 provincial election, and it had not been brought up during the election.
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Artificial intelligence data centres
The next question came from a woman originally from Denare Beach, who lost her home due to forest fires last year and now resides in Moose Jaw. She said it was unconscionable to not look to the future, specifically with regards to climate change, and not get off gas and off “non-replaceable” power.
Beck responded that the original timeline to get out of coal-fired power generation dated to 2012, under the Stephen Harper Conservative government. Since then, it has become a wedge issue, she noted.
Beck spoke of the need of not only jobs, but “keeping the lights on.” She said their plan is for affordable, reliable power.
The next question asked about a proposed 150 megawatt AI data centre for Moose Jaw. Both Beck and Young said they didn’t have a lot of familiarity with that particular proposal. Young said the Regina AI data centre under construction just outside of her riding has become an issue, with “normal folk” expressing concern.
She added, “Is the NDP opposed to every data centre, everywhere, full stop? No.”
She said SaskTel has operated data centres for years. But she expressed concern about lack of regulations, assessments and transparency regarding large data centres.
Between the Regina project and the proposed one at Moose Jaw, she pointed out that would equate to a third of the coal fleet, or one and a half large natural gas-fired plants.
Beck added that AI is a tool, and it’s already here.
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Coal to gas
A man asked if the NDP planned on keeping coal going to 2040, or converting those plants to natural gas, how could it be done without doing refurbishments?
Young replied that SaskPower had been running the plants on “patch maintenance” for 15 years, and that some maintenance would need to be done.
He replied that the NDP would be “limping them along,” instead of rebuilding them.
Upstream coal vs natural gas
Pipeline Online asked the last series of questions of the hour and a half long session. Noting the NDP has been quoting “$26 billion” as the total cost for coal refurbishment totalling 1,500 megawatts, including fuel costs, Pipeline Online said the same methodology applied to the NDP plan would see similar costs, both for capital and fuel. For capital, building four greenfield natural gas plants would likely cost $2.5 billion each, for a total of $10 billion, and the fuel costs for natural gas, using 2022 numbers from SaskPower, could mean the cost for natural gas could be $11.2 to $16.8 billion, depending on how much LNG exports impact gas prices.
Asked to provide their numbers, Young disagreed with Pipeline Online’s numbers, but would not provide their own. “That’s certainly not the numbers we have,” she said, noting the NDP had applied experts.
She said up until January, 2025, SaskPower was not planning to replace all the coal units with greenfield natural gas power plants, but rather convert coal facilities to natural gas. She pointed to substantial redactions in documents the NDP had requested. “If the government had a good story to tell, they would make that public,” she said.
Again conflating capital costs with operational (fuel) costs, Young said she did not believe it was going to cost $28 billion to build out 1,500 megawatts of natural gas power capacity.
Young said she recognizes that there is volatility in natural gas prices, but said the cost for coal continues to increase, given it’s “ours.”
And if expansion of the liquefied natural gas export capacity leads to higher prices, she said, “The best cure for high prices is high prices,” and if LNG kicked off, it would lead to thousands more gas well being brought online in the Maritimes and British Columbia.
Young re-iterated that she did not feel Pipeline Online’s estimates were right. But when both she and Beck, after the presentation, were asked to provide their own numbers, they didn’t. Beck referenced looking up “crosstabs,” in their technical briefing documents.
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Pipeline Online pointed out, as David Grass had done, that money spent on coal largely stays in Saskatchewan, but that spending over $10 billion for natural gas from Alberta will see all of that money going to Alberta, for Alberta drilling companies, Alberta gas companies, and Alberta compressions companies. “It’ll be like a giant Hoover sucking money out of Saskatchewan.”
Young replied she didn’t think that’s accurate. She said she didn’t understand the Saskatchewan governments “swing to make this a fight about natural gas,” noting natural gas is a major driver for industry in Saskatchewan.
She said, “We should have wind, we should have solar, we should have coal, we should have nuclear, we should have natural gas.”
In closing, Young said SaskPower is fundamentally important to Saskatchewan, and decisions about SaskPower will have mammoth implications.
Beck said there will be huge impacts, for individuals and communities, and she wants more policy discussions like this. “We will see impact from what his done, or not down, for at least 100 years,” she concluded.
(Editor’s note, during the writing of this on Saturday, Alberta’s power generation saw total wind output fall, yet again, to 30 megawatts out of 5,684 megawatts total nameplate capacity. That’s one half of one per cent output compared to nameplate capacity.)
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- 0118 IBEW 30 sec0118 IBEW 30 sec
- 0114 Prospera Bold Vision0114 Prospera Bold Vision
- 0113 Miller Epic Cinematic Hollywood trailer0113 Miller Epic Cinematic Hollywood trailer
- 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
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- 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
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- 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
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