Power plant opens in SW Sask.
By Medicine Hat News on December 7, 2019.
The Chinook Power Station was officially opened Friday by SaskPower officials who say the massive gas-fired plant in southwest Saskatchewan was built on time and without accessing a $75-million contingency fund in the budget. The final cost of the 350-megawatt facility near Swift Current is expected to be $605 million. It will employ 25 full-time workers during operations after nearly 500 workers were engaged during the construction phase. The use of natural gas at the combined cycle facility is part of the province’s commitment to reduce emissions compared to coal. “Chinook will play a vital role in our province’s future by providing the power needed to support the goals set in Saskatchewan’s Growth Plan,” said Dustin Duncan, the minister responsible for the Crown utility. “The facility will provide highly efficient baseload power, which will support intermittent renewable energy and help SaskPower meet its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030.” Earlier this fall SaskPower renewed its commitment to build a similar plant near Moose Jaw by 2024. As well, it opened a proposal process this fall for private companies to build and operate up to 300 megawatts of renewable energy by 2023. Awards are expected in late 2020. Driver dies after crash An accident of the Trans-Canada Highway on Thursday morning is now a fatality. RCMP report Friday morning that the driver of a pickup truck that collided with the transport truck near the town this week has died in hospital. No name of further information was released. The accident occurred in foggy conditions near the No. 1 junction with Highway 550, just east of Bassano. The driver was the lone occupant to the truck and the transport driver was not injured. 10-9
