Saskatchewan’s power sharing with Alberta recently made headlines as the province grappled with the possibility of rolling blackouts due to extreme cold. However, SaskPower notes the practice is very common across Canada.
Saskatchewan sent 153 megawatts of electricity to Alberta to prevent rotating blackouts over the weekend.
At the same time, Saskatchewan imported electricity from Manitoba to keep lights on at home.
“Saskatchewan was for a while on the weekend the only other jurisdiction able to send us power,” Nathan Neudorf, Alberta’s utilities minister, explained.
“Their max power that they could donate to that intertie was 153 megawatts. I think that needs a serious look if we can expand that.”
The power shortage forced Alberta to issue its first ever emergency grid alert. Consumers were ask to turn out lights, cook with microwaves and delay charging electric vehicles.
“That can bring down overhaul system demand and that can make a big difference,” said Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) spokesperson Leif Sollid.
“It literally is every megawatt matters.”
Saskatchewan’s electrical system was also taxed to capacity. The province imported 292 megawatts of electricity from Manitoba, 139 more than it exported to Alberta.
“So utilities across the continent, the world, they import and export power every single day,” SaskPower spokesperson Scott McGregor told CTV News.
“It’s a pretty ordinary thing. Business as usual. I mean right now you are seeing a bit more visibility on it with the situation ongoing in Alberta.”
Premier Scott Moe tweeted about the power export to Alberta over the weekend – saying the power would be coming from natural gas and coal-fired plants.
Moe took the opportunity to criticize the federal government’s environmental policies.
Alberta blamed weekend power supply problems on the early shutdown of coal generated electricity by a previous NDP government.
“There is some responsibility born by the NDP in that early transition away from coal. Like I said not all of those coal generators were converted to gas,” Neudorf added.
Saskatchewan intends to avoid placing itself in a similar situation in the future – citing the possibility of establishing Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) to provide baseload power.
The final decision on whether to pursue SMR technology in Saskatchewan will be made in 2029.
If the province moves forward with the project, a reactor could be operational by the mid 2030s.
