SaskPower is planning on having 10,000-12,000 homes in Saskatchewan be powered using solar energy by the year 2021.

The Crown corporation made the announcement before the weekend stating how they will add 60 megawatts (MW) of ground mount solar photovoltaic generation to the province’s electricity grid by 2021. The provincial government is hoping to have 50 per cent of its power delivered by renewable sources by 2030.

Moreover, SaskPower's plan includes obtaining the power from a competitive partnership with the First Nations Power Authority (FNPA) and multiple community projects. Consultation for community solar development will begin this fall.

“The development of cleaner energy options is essential to power Saskatchewan’s future,” explained Gordon Wyant, Minister Responsible for SaskPower, adding how the strategy will help SaskPower and the government reach their 50 per cent renewables goal.

SaskPower will begin its plan by seeking qualified vendors for the first of two 10 MW projects; this portion of the strategy will be active until the end of September. Next, the competitive acquisition part will begin a couple months from now in December.

SaskPower is hopeful their first 10 MW solar power project will be in service by 2018,  and will be one of the first utility-scale solar projects in Canada.