Released on April 23, 2009
The Government of Saskatchewan is seeking public input on how best to meet the province's growing need for electrical power.
Yesterday in the Legislature, Crown Corporations Minister Ken Cheveldayoff tabled a motion directing the Standing Committee on Crowns and Central Agencies to conduct public hearings and investigate options for meeting Saskatchewan's future electrical power needs. The committee is made up of both government and opposition MLAs.
The motion directs the committee to "conduct an inquiry to determine how the province can best meet the growing demand for electricity in a manner that is safe, reliable, environmentally-sustainable and affordable for Saskatchewan residents."
"Saskatchewan people already benefit from a diverse mixture of electrical power sources, including natural gas, wind, hydro, co-generation and coal," Cheveldayoff said. "However, SaskPower is going to have to increase its power generation capacity in order to meet the needs of a growing province.
"The question going forward is - how do we develop future sources of safe and reliable electricity in a manner which achieves the best balance between affordability and environmental sustainability?
"The public has an important role to play in determining how we achieve that goal and public hearings will offer that opportunity for Saskatchewan residents to be informed and consulted."
The process for public input and final reporting date, back to the Legislature, will be established by the committee.
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For more information, contact:
Kathy Young
Executive Council
Regina
Phone: 306-787-0425
Email: kathy.young@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-526-8927