NDP Leader Ryan Meili and Finance Critic Trent聽Wotherspoon announced a聽commitment on Sept. 17 that an NDP government would harness the power of the province's Crowns and the expertise of the oil patch to explore the development of affordable and renewable baseload geothermal power in Saskatchewan.聽
鈥淲e know Saskatchewan families are feeling stretched and stressed, struggling to make ends meet. This is especially true in oil patch communities where challenges have been made worse by the pandemic,鈥� said Meili.
鈥淭oday we have the opportunity to put people to work with the skills they already have, as we take advantage of new technology and incredible untapped opportunities in clean, renewable energy production under a聽Sask聽First model that puts Saskatchewan companies and workers first.鈥澛�
Meili indicated that as part of a platform commitment to reaching 50 per cent renewable electricity by 2030 and a legislated target of 100 per cent emissions-free electricity by 2050, his government would work with SaskPower to explore a major expansion of baseload geothermal power capacity.聽
Emerging technology in this field, including deep well geothermal and closed-loop geothermal, has the potential to provide reliable, affordable green power that is the ideal companion to expanded solar and wind.
Geothermal also has the capacity to provide a much-needed boost to industries and communities impacted by the oil downturn.聽
Dion Malakoff, Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Provincial Building and Constructions Trades Council, sees a commitment to next-generation geothermal as crucial to sustaining Saskatchewan鈥檚 prosperity and ensuring good jobs for Saskatchewan tradespeople.聽
鈥淲e鈥檝e got the workers, the equipment and the expertise at the ready,鈥� said Malakoff. 鈥淪askatchewan could be pioneering a field that promises good jobs and clean, cheap energy for the people of our province, but it takes a commitment from political leaders to putting Saskatchewan people first.鈥澛�
Kevin聽Krausert, president and CEO of Beaver Drilling, and the drilling rig executive chair of the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors, has also spoken up in favour of geothermal,聽聽鈥淕eothermal energy provides an opportunity to have Canada鈥檚 leading drillers and equipment deliver reliable 鈥� and renewable 鈥� zero-carbon energy.鈥澛�
鈥淣ew Democrats believe in putting our natural resources to work. New Democrats believe in the workers who make their living in oil and gas in our province 鈥� which is why we support pipelines as the safest way to get our product to market for a fair price,鈥� said NDP Finance Critic Trent聽Wotherspoon.
鈥淏ut we can do so much more,鈥� Wotherspoon continued. 鈥淕eothermal energy presents an incredible opportunity to be at the leading edge of changes in the industry and diversify and expand opportunities for skilled workers like drillers, surveyors and geologists. Smart investments in affordable, renewable energy will drive investment, create jobs and are central to building the energy infrastructure of the future.鈥�
