SaskPower says its exporting 175 megawatts of electricity to the United States as extreme cold conditions are leaving millions without power in southern parts of the country.
“In Saskatchewan, we know first-hand the challenges posed by extreme winter weather, and being part of an integrated grid means that when called upon, we help each other out,” said Kory Hayko, SaskPower’s vice-president of transmission and industrial services and NorthPoint Energy Solutions’ president and CEO.
“We have been able to help our neighbours in their time of need, while maintaining the stability of our grid and delivering reliable power to our customers.”
SaskPower started moving 150 MW of electricity on Sunday, but has since increased that amount to 175 MW.
“The company will continue to offer all the support it can for as long as possible,” SaskPower said in a press release issued Tuesday.
“SaskPower has successfully managed higher-than-normal peak loads during the past 10 days as Saskatchewan has experienced extreme cold conditions associated with a polar vortex.”
The electricity is being fed through an intertie into the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), which is currently under emergency operation conditions.
SPP coordinates electricity flow across about 60,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines spanning more than 14 states in the U.S.