Scott Moe comes to Estevan to discuss its power generation future

Brian Zinchuk

Brian Zinchuk is editor and owner of Pipeline Online

Most of this past week, Premier Scott Moe has focused on the future of power generation in Saskatchewan. It started with a press conference in Regina on Tuesday, a debate in the Legislature on Wednesday, more comments on Thursday and finally a meeting with Estevan and area elected officials, coal miners and electrical workers. This is the final press conference of the week, in Estevan city council chambers, where he was asked about more specific local implications on the future of power generation in the Energy City.

The reason behind all of this has been the Canadian federal government’s initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in its quest to combat anthropogenic (man-made) climate change. The federal government has proposed a new Clean Electricity Standard, also referred to as Clean Electricity Regulations, which would ban the usage of fossil fuels – coal and natural gas – in power generation by 2035. It’s an idea referred to as “Net Zero by 2035.”

But Saskatchewan currently sees up to 84 per cent of its power come from natural gas and coal, on cold days when the wind doesn’t blow and wind turbines don’t turn.

Moe said initially on May 2, and again on May 16, that meeting such federal standards would be impossible for Saskatchewan. The implications for all of this in Estevan, Saskatchewan’s largest power generation site for generations, are massive.

This is the full press conference immediately following the meeting.

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  0060 Arizona Lithium Lease building
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  0059 Southeast College Heavy Equipment Operator
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  0058 Royal Helium Steveville opens anonymous rocket
• 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
  9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
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  0055 Smart Power Be Smart with your Power office
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  0015 Latus Viro
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  0052 Predator Inspections
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  0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
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  0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
• 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan
  0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan
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  0043 ALX ten sizes
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  0039 Summit ESP Saskatchewan lower third
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  0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
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And here’s the full press conference from Tuesday, May 16:

(Editor’s note: I promise, next week I’ll be getting back to more oil and gas, and maybe some lithium. But folks, this is the “energy transition” happening in real time, and these decisions are going to have mammoth implications on the entire energy sector, and our society as a whole. There have been many miles driven and many late nights recently spent working on this week’s series of stories. And between the Tuesday and Friday press conferences, Moe answered nearly all the questions I’ve been working on for the last 17 months when it comes to power generation in Saskatchewan’s future. If you live in or around Estevan, these will impact you.)

• 0060 Arizona Lithium Lease building
  0060 Arizona Lithium Lease building
• 0059 Southeast College Heavy Equipment Operator
  0059 Southeast College Heavy Equipment Operator
• 0058 Royal Helium Steveville opens anonymous rocket
  0058 Royal Helium Steveville opens anonymous rocket
• 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
  9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
• 0055 Smart Power Be Smart with your Power office
  0055 Smart Power Be Smart with your Power office
• 0015 Latus Viro
  0015 Latus Viro
• 0052 Predator Inspections
  0052 Predator Inspections
• 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
  0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
• 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
  0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
• 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan
  0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan
• 0043 ALX ten sizes
  0043 ALX ten sizes
• 0039 Summit ESP Saskatchewan lower third
  0039 Summit ESP Saskatchewan lower third
• 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
  0041 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
• 0011
• 0006 JK Junior
• 9001
• 0002