Work on Saskatchewan's next natural-gas fired power station is on time, on-budget, and now more than 50 per cent complete. The 350 megawatt (MW) Chinook Power Station near Swift Current is expected to come online in late 2019.

"It's exciting to see this project really start to take shape. In fact, people living in the area may have seen the arrival of the gas turbine just this week," said SaskPower Vice President of Power Production Howard Matthews. "The Chinook Power Station will provide us with that crucial baseload power as we look to expand more intermittent generation options like wind and solar in the years to come."

With the foundations done, crews are currently working on the powerhouse building and administration building, as well as piping and equipment installation. When this project is completed, there will be approximately 20,000 meters of piping installed, as well as 115 kilometres of cable. Major equipment has also started to arrive at the location, such as the gas turbine and generator. The gas turbine weighs nearly 250,000 kilograms, which is equal to about 115 pickup trucks. It took roughly 14 months to build and arrived at the site on January 15. People living nearby will notice additional pieces of large equipment being installed over the coming months.

The project is expected to create hundreds of jobs during construction, with an estimated 24 employees required to run the facility once it's finished. Workers at the site achieved another safety milestone last month when they surpassed 250,000 hours without a lost time injury.

SaskPower is committed to a diverse mix of generation options that include renewable and non-renewable sources. We plan to reduce emissions by 40 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. This will involve adding more natural gas generation, as well as increasing the percentage of renewable electricity from 25 per cent now to as much as 50 per cent of overall generation capacity.

For more information on the Chinook Power Station, including pictures from various stages of construction, visit saskpower.com. #PowerToGrow

At a glance...

• The Chinook Power Station is on-time, on-budget and more than 50% complete
• Crews are currently working on the on-site buildings, equipment installation and piping systems
• Workers hit a safety milestone last month of 250,000 hours without a lost time injury
• The project is expected to come online in late 2019 and generate enough power for roughly 350,000 homes