SaskPower is exporting 175 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the United States to help provide relief to southern states currently without power due to extreme cold conditions straining the electrical grid.
As of Wednesday morning, approximately 3 million homes and businesses across the country were still without power following a large winter storm. This includes customers in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Several other states have also been affected.
In a press release, SaskPower said it began moving 150 MW of power the morning of Feb. 14 and has since temporarily increased that amount to 175 MW.
The Crown is promising to continue providing this support for as long as possible, provided local power needs are also being met.
“In Saskatchewan, we know first-hand the challenges posed by extreme winter weather, and being part of an integrated grid means that when called upon, we help each other out,” said Kory Hayko, SaskPower vice-president of transmission and industrial services and CEO of NorthPoint Energy Solutions, in a press release. “We have been able to help our neighbours in their time of need, while maintaining the stability of our grid and delivering reliable power to our customers.”
Saskatchewan has also been experiencing a higher-than-normal peak load in the last 10 days due to extreme cold conditions caused by a polar vortex, but the Crown said the province’s electrical grid has so far managed the increase.
SaskPower remains confident it can successfully support Saskatchewan customers while also providing aid to the U.S. grid.
The exported power is being fed through the Southwest Power Pool, which coordinates the flow of electricity across an estimated 96,560 kilometres of high-voltage transmission lines through 14 states.
