Estevan got to see an update on a new development taking place outside of town, as the Iyuhána Solar Project is being developed by Greenwood Sustainable Infrastructure in partnership with SaskPower and Ocean Man First Nation.
The project will be set up southwest of Estevan, providing a projected 100 megawatts, enough to power around 25,000 homes. The open house was the second held by Greenwood as the project has been moving forward.
Director of Corporate Affairs Devin Petteplace talks about the most recent moves they've been making.
"This is sort of an update on the progress of the project. We're moving a lot closer. We are just about complete permitting for the project, and if all things go according to plan, which it looks like they will, we're going to hopefully get into construction about Q3 of 2025."
The timeline for the project puts the construction at 18 months, barring any major delays, rounding out to a December 2026 operational start.
The project will occupy a good chunk of land, with Petteplace saying it'll be one of the biggest projects in the province.
"It's going to be, I believe, the largest project in Saskatchewan as far as renewable energy at this point. I believe it's, at least at the time of announcement, in the top 10 in Canada as far as scale for a renewable energy project."
The community has been told about the project for a while, with the latest update adding some confidence for the project.
"We haven't really had any negativity to this point. People are intrigued by it, like obviously solar's got a bit of a different footprint, and I think people just want to learn more about it, learn more of the scope of a project this size. So that's kind of what we've seen to this point."
One of the people looking to hear more about the project was Councillor Tom Mauss, who was at the event to see the latest update.
Mauss voiced his support for the project, saying it's the kind of forward-thinking project the city needs.
"The first time this was introduced was over a year ago, that I saw, and then they presented about three weeks ago at council. They're getting this close, it's brilliant. It's the kind of thing we need looking forward. We have to go in this direction somehow or another, right?"
The project will also help out jobs in the community, with some future job fairs coming to the southeast over the summer ahead of the construction work.
Petteplace says to keep an eye out for when those will be announced for the area.
For now, he's hoping they will be able to continue their current progress and translate that into a project that can help the entire southeast.
"We're really looking forward to getting shovels in the ground and getting this thing started. We're just really happy with the community we're in and the response we've gotten, how supportive the RM of Estevan has been."
Petteplace says the partnership with both SaskPower and the RM of Estevan has been key to making the whole project happen.