SaskPower is increasing the amount of power it can draw from its current connections to the south.

Saskatchewan is no stranger to buying and selling power, as the province has cost-sharing agreements with neighbours in Manitoba and Alberta.

But this power source is with the Southwest Power Pool, a group that represents the energy surpluses and needs of over 14 states in the US.

The changeover is coming in part with the federal government's plan to phase out coal by 2029, as a way to provide baseload power to the residents of Saskatchewan beginning in 2027.

SaskPower Spokesperson Joel Cherry says that the change will be a part of the overall move towards cleaner energy.

"This is part of our overall plan to make sure we have a reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable supply of power for our customers. By federal regulation, we have to phase out conventional coal by the end of 2029. We have set a target for ourselves for reducing our overall carbon emissions by 50% below 2005 levels by 2030 and looking to get to net-zero as soon as possible beyond that, certainly by 2050."

The added capacity for sharing power would be important for increasing baseload capacity, and it can go the other way in case of an energy surplus.

"We've been adding a lot of renewable power, While that's important, that's all zero-carbon energy, we also have to make sure that we have power available for our customers at all times. When it comes to intermittent renewables like wind and solar, they're only available when the wind is blowing or the sun is shining."

As the connection to the Southwest Power pool is expanded, there still will be some fossil fuels in that grid - but Cherry says it looks like that's moving the same way we are.

"At any given time, the generating mix is different. For example, if there's a lot of wind in that area, a good percentage of the power being generated into that pool is wind power. There is a substantial amount of fossil fuel power in that mix as well, but like here the trend is generally toward cleaner energy."