Toronto: Northland Power Inc. announced June 5 that its wholly-owned 260 megawatt North Battleford natural gas facility achieved commercial operations after completing all required tests.
The facility, located in west central Saskatchewan, will provide baseload and intermediate power to the Saskatchewan power grid under a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement with Saskatchewan Power Corporation. The PPA was awarded to Northland following a competitive bid process initiated in 2008.
The project entered construction in June 2010, and was built under an engineer, procure and construct contract by Kansas City based Kiewit Power Partners. The facility consists of a 170 megawatt General Electric gas turbine operating in “combined cycle” with a heat recovery steam generator (large boiler) and steam turbine. The boiler produces steam for use in the steam turbine, generating additional electricity, for a total capacity of 260 megawatts. Natural-gas-fired turbines are generally considered the cleanest form of fossil-fired generation, and their use in combined cycle mode further increases the efficiency of the facility, while limiting environmental impacts.
David Dougall, Northland’s VP of Operations noted that, “The opening of our second facility in Saskatchewan represents an important milestone for Northland. With North Battleford in operation, we are now generating over 340 MW of power in Saskatchewan, and net 1,265 MW across all of our operating facilities.”
Northland continues to expand its operations and has cash flows diversified over five separate regions.
“We are delighted to help meet Saskatchewan’s long-term energy needs, and look forward to a long-lasting partnership with SaskPower,” said John Brace, CEO of Northland. “On behalf of everyone at Northland, I would like to thank the community of North Battleford, SaskPower, and all levels of government in Saskatchewan for their role in making this project a success. I would also like to thank Kiewit and the Northland team, and acknowledge their dedication and hard work, which allowed us to complete the project on schedule and on budget.”