The new power facility will be located in an industrial area near Moose Jaw, a city of about 34,000 in south-central Saskatchewan. SaskPower is a provincial Crown Corporation and Saskatchewan’s leading energy supplier. Engineering will begin immediately, and construction is expected to begin in early 2021. The Great Plains Power Station is expected to begin generating power in 2024.
The Great Plains facility will be similar to SaskPower’s Chinook Power Station, a 353-MW combined-cycle power facility located near Swift Current. The Chinook facility began commercial operations in late 2019. Burns & McDonnell served as EPC contractor for the Chinook project.
“The Great Plains Power Station provides an affordable supply of baseload power that will support the integration of renewables such as wind and solar into our grid. This will be crucial as we work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Mike Marsh, President and CEO of SaskPower.
Much like the Chinook Power Station, Great Plains will feature a Siemens F-class gas turbine and a Siemens steam turbine to boost power output and maximize energy efficiency while reducing the overall emissions footprint. Combined-cycle operations utilize exhaust heat to create steam that spins a second generator and increases the relative amount of power produced in proportion to the Btu of energy consumed. Because it is much more energy efficient, combined-cycle technology also produces less carbon dioxide per Btu than other forms of fossil fuel power technologies.
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“We have been involved with design or construction of more than 70 natural gas power plants throughout North America, so we are excited to leverage that experience for SaskPower,” said Ray Kowalik, Chairman and CEO of Burns & McDonnell. “The Great Plains Power Station will secure a reliable source of power for SaskPower customers for many decades to come.”
“Throughout the proposal phase and now continuing into execution, we have focused on embracing local Saskatchewan and Indigenous companies and individuals that bring the drive and pride in their local community to work every single day,” said Chad Kirby, Executive Sponsor for Burns & McDonnell. “In our years of experience in Saskatchewan, we have seen firsthand the capability to safely and skillfully build high-quality projects. Burns & McDonnell has committed to incorporate the community in key roles in the construction of the Great Plains Power Station and has made this a firm part of our commitment to SaskPower and the community because it’s the right thing to do.”
Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies bringing together a team of engineers, construction professionals, architects, planners, technologists, and scientists to design and build critical infrastructure. With an integrated construction and design mindset, the company offers full-service capabilities with offices globally. Founded in 1898, Burns & McDonnell is a 100 percent employee-owned company
