Saskatchewan joins Alberta in condemning costs of net-zero electricity grid

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe expressed concerns about the cost of closing natural gas electrical plants and shutting down the province's only coal plant, which captures carbon. He said it would spike utility bills for residents.

  • Rebel News
  • May 11, 2023
  • News Analysis
Saskatchewan joins Alberta in condemning costs of net-zero electricity grid
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Saskatchewan has joined Alberta in refuting Ottawa's incoming clean electricity standards. They remain under development as Canada continues its fight against climate change.

"We're going to continue to chart Saskatchewan's path," Premier Scott Moe told reporters. "It may not necessarily be Canada's path, and we'll have more details in the coming weeks."

Moe said his province would not reach net zero by 2035 or phase out conventional coal by 2030. 

The premier expressed concerns about the cost of closing natural gas electrical plants and shutting down the province's only coal plant, which captures carbon. He said it would spike utility bills for residents.

"If you think about where the city of Saskatoon receives [its] power, January 1, 2035, is a [frigid] morning in Saskatoon because the lights won't come on and the furnace fans won't work," Moe told reporters.

Though Saskatchewan relies heavily on natural gas and coal for its electrical grid, the province, like Alberta, is prepared to reach net zero by 2050.

Alberta's UCP forewarned voters last week that shifting the province's electricity grid to net-zero emissions would be "costly." UCP candidate Brian Jean claimed the policy would cost billions and decimate the economy.

According to the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) report, transitioning to a net-zero grid would cost between $44 billion and $52 billion over the next decade. However, power generation costs would exceed $92.2 billion during the same period.

"It is the most expensive political promise ever made in Alberta history," Jean told reporters. At a separate press conference, Premier Danielle Smith said electricity bills would jump 40% for Albertans.

"After people got over this most recent winter season, a lot of the NDP decisions are coming home to roost. They phased out coal early to natural gas, and billions in stranded costs were worked into ratepayers' bills," said Smith.

A federal discussion paper on emission standards states that natural gas plants could be considered low-emitters if they capture carbon. Non-emitters include renewables such as solar, wind and nuclear.

Moe did not shy away from using nuclear, natural gas, solar and wind energy in the future to lower the province's overall emissions and meet targets but said the priority now is affordability.

"It's about what's affordable and about what's possible versus some ideological policy that may come from another level of government," he said. "We're going to [green our power grid] in a way that ensures that we have sustainable supply and in a way that continues our plan to net zero by 2050."

Consultations between the federal and provincial governments remain ongoing, with changes to the standards possible.

"If one trait characterizes our federal leadership, it's their governance on ideological dogma rather than established, pragmatic fact," Maverick Party leader Colin Krieger told Rebel News. 

"The Liberals insist on setting unachievable goals, like the net-zero electrical grid and transitioning to all-electric vehicles by the mid-2030s — It's laughable, a joke."

"But we aren't laughing," contends Krieger.

Moe argued Saskatchewan would not subject itself to a self-inflicted energy crisis like Europe last winter. "We're going to be using every tool that we have as a province to ensure that yes, we're reducing emissions, but we're also making sure that we have a sustainable power supply," he said.

Krieger blamed the "large voting blocs" in central and eastern Canada for deciding that Canadians should follow Prime Minister Justin Trudeau down this path.

"For instance, switching to electric vehicles would require us to quadruple our current generating capacity. Quadruple," he said. "We couldn't do that even if we used conventional natural gas generating stations, let alone trying to use renewables."

"We have yet to talk about how to transmit this energy. It's a pipe dream."

Alberta Saskatchewan Canada Climate Change News Analysis Scott Moe Expose The Reset
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