September 16, 2016 – SaskPower’s new natural gas-fired power plant near Swift Current, Sask. will be named Chinook Power Station when it comes online in late 2019.

“Chinook Power Station is going to play a major part in helping SaskPower continue to meet the growing demand for power in Saskatchewan,” said SaskPower president and CEO Mike Marsh. “Once complete, Chinook will be capable of generating enough power for a city the size of Saskatoon.”

The design and construction of the 350MW combined-cycle plant will be managed by Burns & McDonnell Canada, an engineering, procurement and construction firm that was also involved in the 2015 expansion of the Queen Elizabeth Power Station in Saskatoon.

Next steps include preparing for an environmental assessment and working to create the best plan to connect Chinook to SaskPower’s grid, the utility says. A vendor information session for businesses that could potentially provide work during construction was held in Swift Current on September 13, 2016, and additional sessions are planned for September 20 in Saskatoon and September 21 in Regina.

Chinook Power Station’s budget is about $680 million and will provide up to 500 jobs during construction, according to SaskPower. It is expected about 25 workers will be needed to operate the plant once operational.

“We’ll be keeping all impacted landowners, potential suppliers and interested customers in the Swift Current area informed along the way as the plans for Chinook move forward,” Marsh added.