SaskPower customers to see 3% increase on bills due to carbon tax

SaskPower customers can expect to see a three per cent increase on their bills effective Jan. 1, 2023, due to an increase in the federal carbon tax.

The tax applied to SaskPower’s carbon emissions will increase from $50 to $65 per tonne, according to a news release from SaskPower.

SaskPower collects the carbon tax through customer bills through a rate rider that is revised every year on Jan. 1.

“SaskPower is steadily moving toward a low-carbon future while continuing to provide the reliable electricity our province needs to grow,” said Rupen Pandya, SaskPower President & CEO, in the release.

The federal carbon tax was established in 2019 and has since increased on an annual basis. It will continue to increase until it reaches $170 a tonne in 2030.

The increase is a separate cost from SaskPower’s previously announced rate increase of four per cent, which took effect Sept. 1, 2022.