SaskPower is looking for applications for the Power Generation Partner Program (PGPP) after deciding to extend it for the optional third year.
The program allows customers, often oil and gas companies or farms, to build power generation projects and sell the power back to SaskPower.
This is unlike the now-defunct net metering program, which allowed customers to install smaller rigs on their property, use the power generated and then sell any excess back to SaskPower.
The PGPP accepts both renewable projects including solar, biomass and geothermal as well as carbon-neutral, non-renewable projects like flare gas and waste heat recovery. The projects can range from 100 kilowatts up to five megawatts.
By the end of this third year of the project, SaskPower estimates there will be up to 105 megawatts of customer-generated power in the grid.
The Crown corporation said the program will help in its goal to get carbon emissions 40 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. The company said it will also provide an opportunity for oil and gas customers to reduce their emissions.
“While there is currently no plan to replace this program, we anticipate that customer generation will continue to play a role in our power generation mix, and the many learnings from delivering PGPP will be beneficial for the development of any future programs,” Shawn Schmidt, SaskPower’s vice-president of distribution and customer services, said in a news release.
People interested need to book a pre-application meeting with SaskPower before Oct. 2.