Moose Jaw wasn't even in the mix and now we're the preferred site for a brand new $700 million power generation site for a Crown Corporation.

The announcement last week from SaskPower is still creating a buzz in the community considering the project will employ upwards of 600 people to build and create around 25 high paying jobs once done.

The final paperwork on a $615,000 option to purchase land for the plant was signed on Friday to the delight of Mayor Fraser Tolmie.

"People got together, we rallied and we advocated on behalf of the citizens of Moose Jaw to bring this project to the forefront and come to an understanding that this is a great project for the City of Moose Jaw and the area surrounding it."

The mayor and councillors were all smiles on Friday during the announcement that will launch a project that will take upwards of five years to complete and inject millions of dollars into the local economy. It's not just the plant but all of the spin-off work that will be needed including site testing, environmental studies, surveys and infrastructure installation leading up to construction in 2020.

The deal reached last Wednesday night and given final approval Friday is for 110 acres of land directly north of the sewage lagoons with a price tag of $615,000 but SaskPower will also spend $4 million for water infrastructure, $1.5 million dollars on roads and build a $500,000 sewer line that will all help to service the industrial park.

"All of these things will be utilized for us at our facility," explained SaskPower Director of Generation Assessment and Planning Doug Opseth. "but it will also provide anchor for other tenants who would be interested in going there and certainly make it a very attractive location for other tenants who might want to move into the area."

A pea protein processing plant was supposed to be the anchor tenant for the industrial park but with no movement on that file in over a year, optimism has started to fade so the announcement of this project has rejuvenated the park project on the south side of the city. Meanwhile, this project could also revive another Crown project that was recently moved to the back burner.

SaskEnergy also has an interest in the new south industrial park as they announced a plan to build a new town border station to better serve the region's natural gas needs. While they have bought the land from the city, they explained in November that the project had been put on hold due to inactivity in the area. This SaskPower project could be the kick-start the SaskEnergy project needs since the power plant will rely on natural gas to create the electricity.