Solar panels expected to offset Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant power use

The mayors of Regina and Moose Jaw unveiled the new solar panel project for the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant on Tuesday.

The $4 million project will power the plant’s administration building, and the solar panels are expected to reduce the plant’s energy use by 10 per cent. Installation is expected to be finished this year.

These are the first solar panels to be used at the plant, which provides both Regina and Moose Jaw with drinking water. The project supports both the City of Regina’s Energy and Sustainability Framework and the City of Moose Jaw’s Climate Action Plan.

Regina Mayor Sandra Masters said the solar project is a commitment to the community and the generations to come.

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“By harnessing the power of the sun, we’re reducing our environmental impact and leading by example,” Masters said in a statement. “This initiative reflects our unwavering resolve to make Regina and Moose Jaw shining examples of progress and responsibility.”

“The City of Moose Jaw has taken steps to reduce our carbon footprint, and we’re excited that a renewable energy source will play a notoriously impactful role in Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant operations,” Moose Jaw Mayor Clive Tolley added.

The system is expected to produce 1,800 kilowatts of power for the facility – it doesn’t have batteries, and won’t feed back into SaskPower’s grid.