Government of Saskatchewan Amends Legislation to Support Clean Electricity Transition

December 12, 2023

The Government of Saskatchewan is amending The Management and Reduction of Greenhouse Gases legislation to allow more clean energy to be added to the province’s electricity system. 

The changes will require all electricity sector compliance payments under the province’s Output-Based Performance Standards (OBPS) Program to be directed toward ongoing developments and future investments needed to achieve a clean provincial electricity grid by 2050.

“Our government is committed to a long-term plan to transition our province’s power grid to net-zero,” Environment Minister Christine Tell said. “However, this transition cannot sacrifice the affordability and reliability of our power grid. The changes announced today support Saskatchewan’s clean electricity transition priorities while maintaining affordability and competitiveness for families, businesses and industries.”

To build a clean energy future, the Government of Saskatchewan will create a dedicated investment fund to deploy Saskatchewan’s first small modular reactor, as well as supporting SaskPower’s clean electricity operating costs to help maintain overall power rate affordability. All other compliance payments from industrial emitters will continue to be deposited into the Saskatchewan Technology Fund for projects that reduce, sequester or capture emissions. 

The Government of Saskatchewan is committed to ongoing transparency and accountability through the provincial budget, quarterly reports, and Public Accounts, including tracking how all OBPS Program electricity sector revenues are being used to support the province’s clean electricity transition. 

Further details will be included in the 2023-24 third quarter report and as part of the 2024-25 provincial budget in March.