Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced on social media Monday evening that Unit 4 at Boundary Dam had restarted.
SaskPower spokesperson Joel Cherry reported last April that the unit's layup status was extended to March 31, 2024, meaning it is available when there are high power demands.
In Saskatchewan, we will not attempt the impossible when it comes to power production in our province.
— Scott Moe (@PremierScottMoe) January 16, 2024
We will not risk plunging our homes, schools, hospitals, special care homes and our businesses into the cold and darkness because of the ideological whims of others.
To… pic.twitter.com/Ukgn0pYxlC
SaskPower spokesperson Scott McGregor said Unit 4 fired back up around noon on Sunday and began sending power to the grid late Monday night.
It is not yet known how long it will remain online.
"There are a number of factors that need to be considered, such as weather conditions, other generating facilities coming offline for maintenance, and so on." said McGregor.
McGregor said SaskPower's grid is stable and has ample operating reserves. He said the utility expects demand to decrease slightly as extremely cold temperatures gradually rise.
McGregor said no new jobs were created to get the unit online, but extra hours of work were required to support its operation and maintenance.
Unit 4 was most recently used last summer to support repairs to Poplar River. It was returned to standby on September 3.
Moe announced on Saturday night that Saskatchewan provided 153 megawatts of power to Alberta, as the neighbouring province was under grid alerts amidst frigid conditions.