SaskEnergy now has a clear path to achieving its goal of cutting emissions from operations by 35 per cent by the year 2030.
The roadmap to reaching this goal is detailed in SaskEnergy’s 2021-22 Sustainability Report, which was released today.
“This past year, SaskEnergy made significant progress in developing a viable plan to achieving its emissions-reduction goal,” Minister Responsible for SaskEnergy Don Morgan said. “Several initiatives are already underway to cut emissions by integrating renewable electricity at SaskEnergy facilities, reducing the amount of vented gas from operations, and optimizing operational practices and infrastructure.”
In 2021-22, SaskEnergy reduced emissions by 22,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) or seven per cent compared to the previous year—an encouraging step toward its 2030 goal. At the same time, SaskEnergy continues to help its customers lower their own energy use and emissions through various energy-efficiency programs—including rebates for replacing old natural gas equipment with high-efficiency models—enabling customers to also save money on their energy bills.
“We’ve worked hard to increase the reach of our customer efficiency programs, providing $1.2 million in additional funding in 2021-22, for a total of more than $3 million,” SaskEnergy’s Acting President and CEO Mark Guillet said. “We increased this funding again for 2022-23, allocating $5.1 million to help customers be more energy efficient, with the goal of reducing their end-use emissions by 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.”
SaskEnergy’s Sustainability Report also highlights the company’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices and performance while providing an outlook on key indicators.
“ESG principles have always been reflected in our operations and we’ve reaffirmed our commitment to embed sustainability into all of our decision making,” Guillet said. “These principles and this commitment will help ensure a greener, sustainable future for our company, our customers and the entire province.”
Other highlights from SaskEnergy’s 2021-22 Sustainability Report include:
- Nearly 35,000 tonnes of CO2e per year are now being saved in emissions by customers who have participated in SaskEnergy’s energy efficiency programs since 2017-18. That’s equivalent to taking more than 7,500 vehicles off the road each year.
- In 2021-22 SaskEnergy introduced a new online tool on its website to help customers make informed decisions about their next appliance purchase based on energy-efficiency and emissions parameters.
- In 2021-22, SaskEnergy added 85-watt solar panels, and seven-day battery capacity, at 40 of its facilities. More than 200 SaskEnergy sites throughout the province are now solar powered and another 40 are targeted to have panels installed by the end of 2022-23.
- SaskEnergy began a two-year project in 2021-22 to install energy management software at its Regina Service Centre.
- SaskEnergy spent about $10 million on biosecurity mitigation measures in 2021-22 as part of its commitment to protecting the environment and farming operations during all aspects of its projects.
- In 2021-22, SaskEnergy signed a two-year agreement with the Nature Conservancy of Canada to support biodiversity conservation of the Southwest Sandhills in Saskatchewan.
- In 2021-22, 74 per cent of SaskEnergy’s capital and operating expenditures were paid to Saskatchewan businesses—totaling about $278 million.
- SaskEnergy received three national environmental stewardship awards from the Canadian Gas Association in 2021-22.
Read SaskEnergy’s Sustainability Report.
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