Wednesday afternoon representatives from both the city of Moose Jaw and SaskPower took over the Sportsmen Centre. 

The two teams hosted the event to discuss the Industrial Park and the new Power Station that is nearing the end of the planning stages. 

Joel Cherry, Spokesperson for SaskPower, explained why they continue to host these open house style events each step of the way. 

"We're ultimately here to serve the public. The earlier we get people involved in our processes the easier it is to try to incorporate their concerns and try to address their concerns. We also just want to make sure that people know for

accountability purposes and transparency what exactly it is that we're doing, why there is a need for this plant to be built and why it's being built where it is and so on," detailed Cherry. 

Cherry added that they need to continue to meet the ever growing energy demand in the province while also reducing their carbon footprint.

"We've committed to reduce our total carbon output by 40% below 2005 levels. Moving towards natural gas, this is one of two plants the Chinook Plant is also expected to be completed this year near Swift Current, but moving toward natural gas the carbon output is about half as high as it would be for conventional coal so this is beneficial for that reason too."

The new plant is expected to provide 350 megawatts of baseload power once it's up and running according to Cherry.

"We're also increasing the amount of neweable power in the province from sources like wind especially but also sources such as solar. The thing about wind and solar is they're not 100% reliable if it's not windy for example you're not going to be able to generate as much wind. As we do move toward more renewables having a steady source of power from a baseload source like natural gas, which is lower carbon than coal, it's going to be tremendously important."

Residents were able to see things such as the environmental impact this build will have, how the economy is expected to benefit, what accommodations or modifications SaskPower has done to appease the landowners and people in the area of the industrial park, and ultimately why Moose Jaw was the ideal location for this exciting project. 

Attendees were also given the opportunity to sign up for notifications from SaskPower so they could stay connected to the project as it progresses. 

Shovels are expected to be in the ground by 2020 with the hope of the Power station to be in full operation by 2024. Cherry said this power station is closely modelled after the Chinook power station near Swift Current and that build cost about 680 million dollars.