The history of energy development in Saskatchewan is complex, with a small handful of cities, such as Saskatoon and Regina, developing municipal energy grids to meet the needs of their rapidly growing communities. But with many of the province’s residents living in outlying rural areas far beyond the outer reaches of municipal utilities, eventually the province itself had to step in to ensure that every member of the province had access to electricity, and later, natural gas.
Consequently, there are now four regulated energy providers in the province.
SaskPower
SaskPower is one of three regulated utilities in Saskatchewan to provide electrical services, and is by far the largest, with more than 500,000 customers spread across the province. Originally founded in 1929 to ensure that regional residents of the province had access to electricity, SaskPower delivers electricity to every resident of Saskatchewan, with the exception of those in Saskatoon and Swift Current.
SaskEnergy
SaskEnergy was established by the province in 1951 to build and maintain a nationwide natural gas distribution and delivery system. Today, it is the province’s sole regulated distributor of natural gas, and the largest seller of natural gas. While there are no other natural gas utilities in Saskatchewan, there are now a number of unregulated natural gas retailers offering competitive services to residents and businesses.
Saskatoon Light & Power
Saskatoon Light & Power is the oldest municipal utility still in operation in the province of Saskatchewan. Providing most of the city of Saskatoon with electrical service for more than 110 years, Saskatoon Light & Power has 117,000 customers, owns and operates 25,000 public light fixtures, and has a service area of 69 square kilometers.
Swift Current Electricity Services
Swift Current Electricity Services fulfills the electrical needs of the more than 16,600 people who live within the bounds of Swift Current, Saskatchewan’s fifth largest city. In addition, the municipal utility operates and maintains the city’s public lighting system.
