SaskPower is investing $38 million in their Rural Rebuild Program. $360,000 will go to replacing power lines along approximately ten kilometers of land in the Midale area.
Scott McGregor, media relations consultant for SaskPower describes it as part of their commitment to providing reliable power for their customers.
“When we look at the age of different parts of infrastructure, we will develop a plan and set it as a priority to address the ones that are closest to the end of their serviceable life to get those replaced. Also, if we receive a lot of calls about a certain power line that poses a problem, that might get it on the list as well.”
The updated infrastructure will increase power capacity and reliability, accommodating for an increase in demand for power. McGregor says this is due to new lines automatically bringing more modern specifications.
“It improves the overall service to our customers through that reliability, as well as being able to accommodate the increasing electrification that we're seeing all across the province, through more technologies being implemented in homes, more air conditioners, for example, electric vehicles, and so on. So, while it is replacing out-of-date or end-of-life equipment, it is also going to help improve the capacity in the area.”
A part of this project will also involve the relocation of some power poles off farmland and into the road allowance. This will make servicing power poles and farming the land safer. McGregor says safety is a definite priority for SaskPower.
“By moving a power line from the field into the road allowance, that ensures that should there be any damage to the line from a storm or anything like that, it's a lot easier for our crews to access those parts of the infrastructure. Moving power lines out of farmers' fields, it makes a lot of sense to make sure that the fields are a lot safer for farmers to do seeding and spraying and harvesting and all of the activities that require large equipment reducing that chance of any potential line contact.”
The project timeline is affected by many factors, but the project is expected to be completed within the fiscal year.