Preliminary construction is beginning this week on a 10-megawatt AC solar energy project southeast of Swift Current in the R.M. of Coulee.

The Highfield Solar project that SaskPower has awarded to Saturn Power to build, own, and operate is expected to be online by the end of next year and create enough electricity to power around 2,000 homes.

Eileen Turano, the project developer for the Highfield Solar project, said this will be the first utility-scale solar PV project in the province.

"In Saskatchewan right now there are mostly rooftop or smaller net metering projects, this is a big project for Saskatchewan," she said. "As the market grows this may end up being a smaller project compared to some of the other ones."

Saskatoon's miEnergy will be the general contractor of the build and will be putting up fencing this week along the quarter section (about 70 acres) of land roughly 43 kilometres from Swift Current while also working on access roads. Materials and equipment will be arriving for the project throughout August and September with Saturn Power hoping construction will be in full swing by the end of September.

"The goal is to get as much as we can done before December, and then have a shut down from December to the spring," Turano said. "And ramp back up again in the spring and then complete the rest of the construction throughout the spring and summer."

Saturn Power estimates the economic impact of the project for the southwest region could be in the neighbourhood of $20 million.

"Saturn is really happy to be bringing some of the benefits of this project to the community," she said. "That's why working with miEnergy was really important to us, it was important that we hire somebody local to Saskatchewan and ensure the local community as well as Saskatchewan as a whole benefits from the economic impact of a project of this size."

She believes the move by SaskPower to begin investing in solar power energy is a great idea, pointing out that Saskatchewan has a great solar irradiance.

"So during the summer for example in the middle of a heatwave when the demand rises for power because everybody is cranking their AC's, solar panels are able to produce more energy to offset that demand," she said.

Turano said they do have contractual obligations to work toward but COVID could play a bit of a factor and potentially delay the project. The Ontario-based company's goal is to have the project online by the end of 2021.

Photo Courtesy of Saturn Power