New national electricity strategy mentions coal once as Sask. pushes towards revival

Debate over the province's coal refurbishment reached a fever pitch as the spring sitting of the legislature came to an end. Wayne Mantyka reports.

As Saskatchewan moves ahead on a plan to revitalize its coal-fired power plants, coal is mentioned only once in the federal government’s new power strategy in an item surrounding phase-out efforts.

The plan was released Thursday by Prime Minister Mark Carney, officially known as “Powering Canada Strong: A National Strategy for an Electrified Canadian Economy.”

It includes adjustments to clean electricity regulations that give more flexibility to liquid natural gas (LNG) power plants and help to double Canada’s electricity grid by 2050. Another goal of the strategy is lowering energy costs for most Canadian households.

• PM Carney unveils plan to lower electricity costs

The lone mention of coal is during an outline on electricity emission reductions.

“Significant federal-provincial collaboration and efforts to phase-out unabated coal-fired power,” the section reads.

On that front, Saskatchewan is listed as having the lowest reduction in emissions from power generation among all provinces between 2005 and 2023, citing a 2025 report from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).

Nationally, electricity systems have cut emissions by more than 50 per cent since 2005.

The plan’s release comes as the Saskatchewan government and the opposition spar over the cost of the planned coal revitalization and its resulting impact on electricity bills for Saskatchewan residents.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said at a press conference Thursday that the government has plans to work with the federal government on its nuclear transition plan that he said will bring a “significant reduction in emissions over time.”

“We are going to reduce our reliance on coal as we build out our nuclear capacity, and so the question isn’t how or if, it’s when,” Moe said. “It’s not a matter of disagreeing on the direction of our government, but there is a discussion to be had on timelines.”

Moe is confident in a certain level of flexibility from the Carney-led federal government, emphasizing that Saskatchewan shares the view that nuclear power and interconnectivity between provinces both need to be priorities for the country going forward.

Moe added that Ottawa also wants to avoid “stranding assets” when it comes to supplementing the power grid for both the average citizen and major industrial projects.

“We cannot turn off one megawatt of power. However, you need a concrete plan moving forward on how you are going to provide that same level of affordability and reliability into the future,” the premier noted.

Coal cost controversy closes session

The Saskatchewan Party government’s plans for the future of the power grid have come under heavy fire from the NDP opposition in the closing weeks of the legislature’s spring sitting.

The NDP, citing leaked SaskPower internal memos, have repeatedly claimed the province’s coal revitalization plan will cost $26 billion over the course of the next 25 years.

“It’s clear in black and white, $26 billion this is going to upend renewable projects. This is going to double power rates. This is an extreme risk for the people of this province,” NDP Leader Carla Beck said.

“They’re doubling down on coal. All the risks remain the same. They’re canceling forward looking renewable projects,” NDP MLA Aleana Young added.

• SaskPower rates could see stiff increases over the next 20 years, leaked memo says

Both the government and SaskPower have pushed back against that claim, with President and CEO Rupert Pandya telling reporters Thursday the refurbishment of 1,500 megawatts of coal-fired power is estimated to cost $2.6 billion – while the $26 billion price tag refers to the total ongoing costs of operating the Crown’s fleet of coal-fired plants.

“We’ve been doing that for 60 years. We have fuel costs, we have operating costs, we have maintenance costs and sustainment costs, and those are already built into rate,” he said, noting that if the plants were converted to burn natural gas, the price tag would jump to $21 billion.

“… I think public confidence is served if there’s context with respect to some of those documents.”

Beck said her party will continue highlighting the coal refurbishment program debate in the coming months. At the same time, Moe has said his party will continue outreach efforts this summer.

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