Saskatoon Tribal Council, City of Saskatoon going green
- EFN Staff | March 09, 2017
A new hydropower generation project at the weir on the South Saskatchewan River in the heart of Saskatoon may lead to the Saskatoon Tribal Council generating green power and multiple benefits for its members and the City.
The City of Saskatoon is preparing to enter a formal agreement with the Saskatoon Tribal Council for a $60 million run of the river hydropower project at one of Saskatoon’s most beautiful and visited areas.
“The Saskatoon Weir is an ideal location for expanding the City’s clean-power generation program to hydropower,” says Kevin Hudson, Manager of Sustainable Energy for the City-owned Saskatoon Light & Power. “The benefits of this initiative will be felt across the Saskatoon Region and we are delighted to have the Saskatoon Tribal Council as a partner to make it a reality.”
The total estimated cost of the project is $61.5 - 65.2 million, which is expected to be funded by the Saskatoon Tribal Council and private-sector partners, off-set by revenue generated by the power station and funding from other green-energy funding sources.
“First Nations can benefit from employment, training and education opportunities that extend beyond the construction phase of this project,” says Darrell Balkwill, Chair of STC Investments Inc. “We are confident that the investment returns from this project will allow us to continue to support community infrastructure and social programs in our member communities.”
Earlier pre-feasibility and environmental baseline studies concluded the project was technically feasible and could be economically viable over the long-term without any significant disruption to the ecology of the area or negative downstream effects to the river valley. The project has been on hold since last presented to City Council in 2015 until funding could be identified.
The project could generate 5.5 or 6.1 Megawatts. The Tribal Council is working with the First Nations Power Authority for a power purchase agreement. The project could produce lots of jobs in construction and then maintenance and operation of the power plant.
And according to Saskatoon Tribal Council General Manager Doug Porter, this fits in with the Tribal Councils plans. “Our mandate is to improve the quality of life of our members and this will offer a revenue stream and education and employment opportunities. Most importantly it builds on our relationship with the City of Saskatoon,” said Porter.
The project will involve restoring the weir’s current infrastructure, and the construction of a river crossing for pedestrians and cyclists that will be wider, safer and more accessible than the current one on the CP Rail Bridge.
For more details and preliminary renderings of the hydropower station and site, visit saskatoon.ca/hydropower.