By KEVIN BERGER, Local Journalism Initiative
RM of Corman Park councillors received a presentation during their May 27 meeting regarding a proposed substation and transmission line in the Blairmore area west of Saskatoon.
SaskPower stakeholder consultant Damon Widynowski and transmission engineer Shauna Piluk appeared as a consultant to talk about the Blairmore Reinforcement Project, which will consist of a new 138-25-kilovolt (kV) substation at SE 32-36-06-W3 and a new 138 kV transmission line.
As noted in a briefing document provided by SaskPower, the number of residents in the Saskatoon area is expected to reach 500,000 in the next 20 years, which is nearly two times its current population.
In addition to the population growth, new ways of using power like electric home heating and electric vehicles is expected to add to overall power demand.
Widynowski said they are in the stakeholder consultation phase and are making presentations to affected municipalities like the RM, adding this project is in Division 4 councillor David Greenwood’s area. They are also reaching out to local landowners and have also appeared before the Saskatoon North P4G (Partnership for Growth).
Widynowski noted that the transmission line, which will be about 3.5 kilometres long, has seven possible routes that SaskPower may take. Ultimately, what route is taken will depend on stakeholder feedback.
“We’re not building seven lines…We are looking for one optimal route,” he said.
Piluk noted that one thing they didn’t account for are future plans for extending the Saskatoon Freeway, so depending on where it goes, SaskPower may have to alter the route of the transmission line in the future.
“Because we don’t know any of the freeway’s boundaries, we will try to have a structure on one side or the other … But there will have to be a line raise or a line modification 10 or 15 years from now, when that freeway does come through,” she said.
Greenwood asked how close these structures will be to residences, referencing academic studies about transmission lines causing cancer.
Piluk indicated there would be an 800-metre buffer between the substation and nearby residences and SaskPower tries to maintain a 60-metre buffer with transmission lines, but there is at least one instance where there is a transmission structure right in the driveway of a residence.
A graphic showing possible routes for the proposed 138-kilovolt transmission line.