New SaskPower facility opens to reduce carbon emissions

- Recently, SaskPower marked the official opening of a new fly ash load out and storage facility at Boundary Dam Power Station near Estevan, Saskatchewan.

Fly ash, a fine powder byproduct of coal combustion, is used in ready-mix concrete, pre-cast structures such as bridge decks and pipes, as well as concrete products like bricks and paving stones. Construction of the Boundary Dam facility, which began in 2011, more than triples the fly ash storage capacity to 5,000 tonnes.

“Capturing and recycling fly ash from our coal-fired power stations in the area means SaskPower is using the province’s abundant coal reserves in a more sustainable manner,” said Robert Watson, SaskPower President and CEO. “Each tonne of fly ash captured and sold, that replaces cement, prevents roughly one tonne of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.”

In February 2012, SaskPower entered into a 10-year agreement with Lehigh Hanson Materials Limited Lehigh, which gives Lehigh the exclusive rights to market fly ash from Boundary Dam. SaskPower looked for a company that could help maximize fly ash sales, given the increased storage capacity and the steady demand for the high quality of fly ash that comes from Boundary Dam.

“Lehigh Hanson is excited to be part of Saskatchewan’s economic growth by selling and distributing fly ash from Boundary Dam Power Station to markets across Canada and into the United States,” said Jim M. Derkatch, President and CEO of Lehigh Hanson Materials Limited. “Saskatchewan has taken its rightful place as part of Canada’s economic engine and we are proud to support it by investing in the construction of a world-class storage facility in southern Saskatchewan.”

In the past few years, SaskPower sold between 110,000 to 135,000 tonnes of fly ash from Boundary Dam and Shand Power Stations. With the expanded storage capacity at Boundary Dam, and with LehighÂ’s expertise in marketing fly ash, SaskPower expects to see net income from fly ash sales more than double by 2020.