Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe speaks to the media after the Saskatchewan budget is presented in Regina on March 22, 2023. Moe says the province is looking into whether it could block an incoming federal emission policy. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu

By Canadian Press

Saskatchewan looking into whether Ottawa’s emissions policy can be blocked, Moe says

May 2, 2023 | 10:55 AM

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says the province is looking into whether it could block an incoming federal emission policy that he believes would make it difficult to keep the lights on.

Moe has not provided details on what he might do, but says more information is to be shared in the coming weeks.

He says Saskatchewan can’t meet potential requirements that may be set out through the federal government’s clean electricity standards.

The standards say emissions from electrical generation should be net-zero by 2035 and that conventional coal be phased out by 2030.

Moe says he’s concerned these changes could result in Saskatchewan being forced to close natural gas electrical plants in the province by 2035, leaving many ratepayers in the dark and causing utility bills to spike.

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Saskatchewan relies heavily on natural gas and coal for its electrical grid, and the province has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in building new natural gas plants.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2023.