(SK) 2013 Brought Record Investment, Demand for SaskPower

(SK) 2013 Brought Record Investment, Demand for SaskPower

Postby Oscar » Tue Apr 15, 2014 10:24 am

2013 Brought Record Investment, Demand for SaskPower

----- Original Message -----
From: Elaine Hughes
To: SK Premier Wall ; thopson@saskpower.com
Cc: SK NDP Caucus ; SK Green Leader - Lau, Victor ; SK Party Caucus ; Council of Cdns - Energy ; Coalition for a Clean Green SK
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2014 10:14 AM
Subject: 2013 Brought Record Investment, Demand for SaskPower


Tyler Hopson
SaskPower, Regina
Phone: 306-566-3167
Email: thopson@saskpower.com
Cell: 306-536-2886


Mr. Hopson:

RE: 2013 Brought Record Investment, Demand for SaskPower
[ http://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/n ... ual-report ]

Impressive figures, indeed!

But, I'm wondering where I would find a similar report on how much money the Saskatchewan Government invested in developing the sustainable alternative energy sources available to us - solar, geothermal, wind? The number of jobs, to say nothing of the health and environmental benefits in that type of industry, are off the charts!

Yet, here we are - like deer caught in headlights - still stuck in technology of the last century!

(And, a few wind turbines in SW Saskatchewan, dragging in archaic, dangerous nuclear power or hiding carbon 'under the carpet' for a few years just don't cut it.)

This is an urgent matter and if other countries can get serious about looking after their own future and that of coming generations, why not us?

How much longer can SaskPower and ultimately, the Government of Saskatchewan, continue to blatantly ignore the advice of the best scientific and technical experts in the world such as that provided by the recent IPCC Report: GET OFF FOSSIL FUELS - TODAY!?

Due to our blindness, laziness, and lack of political will, vision, wisdom or ability, we are all headed for enormous backlash from climate change - and yet, nothing changes to meet that challenge!

What is the problem? Why can we not stop denying the evidence and 'get on with it'???


Elaine Hughes
Archerwill, SK


BACKGROUND INFO: See Below

= = = = =

1) World must end 'dirty' fuel use - UN
[ http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-27008352 ]

By Matt McGrath Environment correspondent, BBC News, Berlin 13 April 2014

"A long-awaited UN report on how to curb climate change says the world must rapidly move away from carbon-intensive fuels. " - BBC News, World must end 'dirty' fuel use, April 13, 2014

The report is the work of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was set up to provide a clear scientific view on climate change and its impacts. [ . . . ]

= = = = =

2) UN report highlights urgency of near-term carbon cutting

[ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/wor ... e17949953/ ]

Ivan Semeniuk - Science reporter The Globe and Mail Last updated Sunday, Apr. 13 2014, 10:26 PM EDT

EXCERPT:

"Now comes a third message, politically the most difficult to deliver and consequently the most delicately worded: Without significant near-term action to reduce the output of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, the planet is on track to warm by roughly four celsius degrees by the end of this century. Such an outcome would be costly for the developed world and potentially catastrophic for poorer nations that cannot adjust to a changing planet.

To avoid it, global emissions will have to shrink at least 40 per cent and possibly as much as 70 per cent in the next 35 years, according to the latest IPCC report, released Sunday.

For Canada and other oil-rich nations, that report comes with a troubling corollary. Locking in to carbon-intense industries that anticipate many decades of future growth could prove a costly choice in a world that urgently needs to move its energy consumption in a different direction.

“I think the takeaway message is we should not be investing in long-lived expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure,” said Danny Harvey, a University of Toronto climate scientist and one of the Canadian lead authors of the report, accepted by the IPCC last week in Berlin."
(Emphasis added.)

= = = =

3) REPORT: Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability - IPCC Working Group II Contribution to AR5

[ http://ipcc-wg2.gov/AR5/ ]

The 10th Session of Working Group II (WGII-10) was held from 25 to 29 March 2014 in Yokohama, Japan. At the Session, the Summary for Policymakers (SPM) of the Working Group II contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (WGII AR5) was approved and the underlying scientific and technical assessment accepted.

= = = = =

2013 Brought Record Investment, Demand for SaskPower

[ http://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/n ... ual-report ]

Released on April 14, 2014

Last year was marked by significant and sustained investments into SaskPower’s power grid and generation assets, along with the largest increase to electricity sales the company has seen in two decades – a total of $2 billion was invested in infrastructure in 2013.

The company made the announcement as it tabled its 2013 Annual Report in the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly today. SaskPower reported an operating income of $167 million in 2013 and more than $2 billion in revenue.

“In 2013, demand for power increased 6.4 per cent - the highest annual growth in 20 years,” Minister responsible for SaskPower Bill Boyd said. “There’s no doubt that SaskPower has a huge challenge ahead to support that continued growth and rebuild an aging electrical grid. SaskPower is managing that challenge very well, based on these results.”

“Saskatchewan set records for power consumption,” SaskPower President and CEO Robert Watson said. “Our 2013 peak was 229 megawatts greater than our highest demand in 2012. These indicators make it as critical as ever that SaskPower continues renewing and rebuilding our system for the future.”

SaskPower began a $700 million finance lease agreement for the North Battleford Generating Station in partnership with Northland Power. The natural gas-fired station went into full operation in June 2013, adding 260 MW to the grid.

Key SaskPower highlights from 2013 include:
$485 million to upgrade power stations, and $265 million on upgrades to transmission and distribution infrastructure.
$165 million to connect new customers to the power grid.
Work continued on a $532 million expansion of Queen Elizabeth Power Station, near Saskatoon, which will add 205 megawatts to the grid.
Progress continued on the Boundary Dam Integrated Carbon Capture and Storage project and the Shand Carbon Capture Test Facility, both of which are scheduled for completion this year.
In 2013, Boundary Dam Unit #1 was retired, resulting in a reduction of 350,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide released into the environment.
SaskPower collected and sold enough fly ash from Boundary Dam and Shand power stations to prevent 180,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.
Full deployment of smart meters began in October 2013, with 500,000 meters scheduled for installation.
SaskPower continued to build its reputation as a great place to work, as evidenced by our selection as one of Canada’s best diversity employers and a top employer for young people.

The 2013 SaskPower Annual Report is available online at www.saskpower.com. -30-

For more information, contact:

Tyler Hopson
SaskPower, Regina
Phone: 306-566-3167
Email: thopson@saskpower.com
Cell: 306-536-2886
Oscar
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