Saskatchewan Launches 105 MW New Power Program

• Canada's Saskatchewan province has launched the Power Generation Partner Program (PGPP) through which it aims to generate 105 MW of renewable and carbon-neutral electricity
• The two-year program will see local utility SaskPower support up to 10 MW of renewable generation like solar and 25 MW of carbon-neutral non-renewable generation as flare gas annually, under PGPP
• The application window will be open from November 15 to November 30, 2018
• It will replace the Small Power Producers Program and the Flare Gas Power Generation Program

Canadian province of Saskatchewan has launched a new program that is planned to see 105 MW of renewable and carbon-neutral electricity generation. The Power Generation Partner Program (PGPP) replaces the Small Power Producers Program and the Flare Gas Power Generation Program.

The Environment Minister and Minister Responsible for provincial utility SaskPower that will conduct PGPP, Dustin Duncan said that through the 2-year program, customers will be allowed to generate clean energy and sell it to SaskPower. The annual limit of energy that PGPP can accept is up to 10 MW of renewable generation like solar and 25 MW of carbon neutral non-renewable generation as flare gas.

Maximum project size has been fixed at 1 MW for renewable projects, up from 100 kW; and 5 MW for carbon neutral non-renewable technologies, up from 1 MW, according to the provincial government.

The application window will open from November 15 2018 to November 30, 2018. Right now, it is a two-year program, but can be extended for another year. More details about the program are available on the website of SaskPower.

Net Metering Update Planned

The government also plans to announce an updated net metering program later this year  under which customers will be able to generate renewable energy to offset their own power use.

"We know there is a rapidly growing interest in customer self-generation and we also know that our oil and gas customers are keenly interested in finding ways to harness flare gas and improve their emissions profiles," said SaskPower President and CEO Mike Marsh. "This is the result of extensive consultations with both the solar and oil and gas industries."

SaskPower aims to reduce emissions by 40% from 2005 levels by 2030 and also ensure 50% of its supply is coming from renewables.

Recently, Canadian province Alberta issued a request for proposals to purchase renewable energy certificates equivalent to 135,000 MWh of solar power generation annually (see Canada's Alberta Issues RFP For 135,000 MWh Of PV).