Boundary Dam power station

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Boundary Dam power station is an operating power station of at least 553-megawatts (MW) in Estevan, Estevan No. 5, Saskatchewan, Canada with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Boundary Dam power station	Estevan, Estevan No. 5, Saskatchewan, Canada	49.095746, -103.030413 (exact)

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

• Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6: 49.095746, -103.030413

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name	Status	Fuel(s)	Capacity (MW)	Technology	Start year	Retired year	Emergency/Backup
Unit 1	Retired	coal: lignite	62	subcritical	1960	2013	False
Unit 2	Retired	coal: lignite	62	subcritical	1960	2014	False
Unit 3	Operating	coal: lignite	110	subcritical	2014	2050 (planned)	False
Unit 4	Operating	coal: lignite	150	subcritical	1970	2050 (planned)	False
Unit 5	Mothballed	coal: lignite	150	subcritical	1973	2050 (planned)	False
Unit 6	Operating	coal: lignite	293	subcritical	1978	2050 (planned)	False

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name	Owner	Parent
Unit 1	Saskatchewan Power Corp [100%]	Saskatchewan Power Corp [100.0%]
Unit 2	Saskatchewan Power Corp [100%]	Saskatchewan Power Corp [100.0%]
Unit 3	Saskatchewan Power Corp [100%]	Saskatchewan Power Corp [100.0%]
Unit 4	Saskatchewan Power Corp [100%]	Saskatchewan Power Corp [100.0%]
Unit 5	Saskatchewan Power Corp [100%]	Saskatchewan Power Corp [100.0%]
Unit 6	Saskatchewan Power Corp [100%]	Saskatchewan Power Corp [100.0%]

Project-level coal details

• Coal source(s): domestic

Ownership Tree

This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.

Financing

• Source of financing: $240 million in grants from the government of Canada; US$940.1 million in equity from SaskPower

Background

The Boundary Dam power station consists of:

• Units 1-2, 62 MW each, commissioned in 1960. Unit 1 was retired in May 2013, and unit 2 in 2014.

• Units 3-5, 150 MW each, units 3-4 were commissioned in 1970 and unit 5 in 1973. Unit 3 was shut down and rebuilt with a Carbon Capture and Storage Unit added, with the Rebuilt Unit 3 (110 MW) commissioned in October 2014.

• Unit 6 - a 293 MW unit commissioned in 1978.

Retirements

Units 1-2

In May 2013 SaskPower announced the retirement of the 62 MW Unit 1 after over 50 years in operation. In a media release SaskPower stated that the closure followed "federal carbon dioxide (CO₂) regulations that were announced in 2012, calling for coal-fired units which have been operating for 50 years or more to meet new emissions standards by July 1, 2015. Retrofitting Unit #1 in time to meet the new regulations was not deemed economically feasible by SaskPower."

SaskPower stated that at the time of the closure the unit generated "approximately 350,000 tonnes" of carbon dioxide emissions.

Unit 2 was retired in 2014.

Units 4-5

In July 2018, SaskPower and the Saskatchewan government said there was “simply not a business case” to retrofit Boundary Dam units 4 and 5 with carbon capture and storage (CCS), as they did unit 3. Without CCS, federal regulations require the units retire by 2019. The provincial government hopes to extend the lifespan of Boundary Dam unit 4 and 5 to 2021 and 2024, respectively, but will need approval from the Canadian government.

On December 29, 2018 the Canadian Government published a draft "equivalency agreement" with the Saskatchewan provincial government which is open for public comment for 60 days. Under the terms of the agreement SaskPower's Boundary Dam Units 4 & 5 would be allowed to operate respectively until December 2021 and 2024. Unit 4 was retired in December 2021.

In April 2022, SaskPower announced that the retired Unit 4 would be placed on standby until at least April 2023. The unit was not brought back online, but rather put on reserve in order to mitigate energy security concerns. In April 2023, the company would re-evaluate the need for the additional capacity.

In an article from April 2023, Pipeline Online reported that while Unit 4 had been on standby, it had been used for 38% of the year from April 2022 through March 2023.

Also in April 2023, SaskPower announced that they planned to extend the lives of both Units 4 and 5. Unit 4 was expected to stay in standby status until the Moose Jaw power station goes into service or until March 31, 2024, while Unit 5 was expected to retire at the end of December 2024 and then be placed on standby for "a couple years" thereafter.

In January 2024, Unit 4 was brought online reportedly to meet higher electricity demand during the winter.

In late September 2024, SaskPower reportedly said that they planned to recertify components of Unit 4 and keep the unit in “cold-standby mode.”

Unit 5 reportedly went into “standby mode” at the end of 2024.

As of January 2025, Unit 4 was still connected to the grid. The Minister for SaskPower had reportedly instructed Boundary Dam’s operators not to decommission or retire the unit at the end of 2024 when the Moose Jaw power station came online, as previously planned. According to the Minister, the provincial government planned to examine potentially refurbishing Units 4–6 to extend their lives.

As of April 2026, Unit 4 was reportedly being recommissioned and was expected to be operating again in May 2026. Cost of repairs was cited as CAD$7.6 million.

Unit 6

Under the Canada Environmental Protection Act, coal-fired power plants are required to shut down when they reach end-of-life, which generally occurs 50 years after commissioning. Boundary Dam Unit 6, commissioned in 1978, will reach end-of-life in 2028.

As of October 2025, SaskPower reportedly expected to begin refurbishing Unit 6 first as part of the company’s plan to refurbish its coal units and continue operating them beyond 2030 (see below).

As of March 2026, the refurbishment of Unit 6 was reportedly scheduled for 2028–2030.

Provincial plans at odds with federal goals for coal phaseout

In May 2023, the Premier of Saskatchewan said that he expected the province would continue operating some of its coal-fired power plants until the end of their lifespans, beyond the 2030 federal target for phasing out unabated coal power. His reasoning was that the province couldn't "meet the federal rules and keep the lights on at an affordable price." The federal Environment Minister responded saying that non-compliance with the regulations, once they were finalized, would be a violation of Canada's Criminal Code. SaskPower reportedly said that Boundary Dam Unit 3 had an expected end-of-life date of 2044.

In June 2025, the provincial government sent a letter to SaskPower employees stating that they planned to extend the lives of all coal-fired power stations in the province. Boundary Dam power station, Shand power station, and Poplar River power station would reportedly “receive the work necessary” for the extensions in the “years to come.” Unit 4 was expected to be serviced and recertified starting in 2025. The letter noted that Saskatchewan did not “recognize the legitimacy of the federal Clean Electricity Regulations,” referring to the Canadian government’s 2030 target for phasing out unabated coal-fired power. The province had yet to disclose how much the refurbishment work would cost for the three power plants.

In July 2025, Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ), the Saskatchewan Environmental Society (SES), and three individuals from Saskatchewan and Manitoba filed an application seeking judicial review of the Saskatchewan government’s decision to extend the lives of the province’s coal plants beyond 2030. One of the individuals was a 12-year-old from Saskatchewan. The applicants stated that the government’s decision was made without sufficient public consultation, was inconsistent with federal clean energy regulations, and breaches the rights of future children under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. An initial hearing at the Court of King’s Bench in Saskatoon was scheduled for August 12, 2025.

According to reporting from August 2025, the Saskatchewan government had allocated CAD$900 million (US$650 million) over four years to refurbish coal units at Boundary Dam power station, Shand power station, and Poplar River power station and keep the plants running beyond the 2030 federal coal phaseout target.

In October 2025, the Saskatchewan government reiterated plans to continue operating coal units at Boundary Dam power station, Shand power station, and Poplar River power station, saying that provincial utility SaskPower “will extend the life of up to 1530 MW of existing coal-fired power assets beyond 2030 and out as far as 2050.” The government’s Saskatchewan First Energy Security and Supply Plan backed the construction of two 300 MW small modular reactors near Estevan, and envisaged the potential development of large-scale nuclear plants in the province. According to the plan, coal would serve as a “bridge” to nuclear power.

In November 2025, a hearing was held for the court case involving CPJ, SES , and three individuals from Saskatchewan and Manitoba who had requested a judicial review of the Saskatchewan government’s June 2025 decision to continue operating coal plants beyond 2030. The provincial government had filed a motion requesting that the court reject the application. The groups asked the Court to allow the judicial review to proceed and to grant an interim stay of the province’s plan to extend the life of its coal fleet. Justice R.S. Smith reportedly adjourned the hearing and would decide on whether the court can hear the case and the government’s motion to strike the proceedings.

In January 2026, the Court of King’s Bench dismissed the request for a judicial review sought by SES, CPJ, and the citizens group. The court reportedly ruled that the legality of the coal plants’ continued operation was not for the court to determine. Following the ruling, SES said it was “disappointed” by the decision. In February 2026, SES and its co-applicants filed a request for appeal with the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal.

According to reporting from March 2026, SaskPower had submitted a rate case to the province’s Rate Review Panel saying that the utility was extending the lives of its coal power plants for another 25 years. The rate case also reportedly indicated that refurbishing the province’s coal plants would cost CAD$2.6 billion (US$1.87 billion), nearly three times the CAD$900 million estimate previously given by the provincial government.

In July 2026, an analysis by a University of Regina economics professor estimated that SaskPower’s plan to keep its three coal plants operating past 2029 would cost CAD$30.2 billion (US$21.5 billion) over the next 20 years. If carbon pricing were to be applied at the same level referred to in a recent agreement between the federal government and the province, the cost would rise to CAD$46.4 billion (US$33 billion).

Energy transition

In September 2024, Saskatchewan’s provincial government announced that the communities of Estevan and Coronach would each receive CAD$5 million to assist with the upcoming coal power phaseout and energy transition. Estevan hosts Boundary Dam power station and Shand power station.

Carbon Capture and Storage Demonstration Project

The Boundary Dam Integrated Carbon Capture & Storage Demonstration Project is a US$1.4 billion project to retrofit the coal-fired unit 3 with carbon capture and an enhanced oil recovery system. The project when complete is expected to result in 1 million tonnes/year reduction in CO₂ emissions. It will also reduce the output of Unit 3 from 139 MW to 110 MW. The Canadian federal government paid $240 million towards the project. SaskPower contributed US$940.1 million in equity toward the project.

In July 2018, SaskPower and the Saskatchewan government announced they will not be expanding carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology on any more coal-fired plants in the near future. Dustin Duncan, the minister responsible for SaskPower and the environment, said there is “simply not a business case” to retrofit Boundary Dams 4 and 5.

The plant's CCS system has been plagued with mechanical failures and unscheduled shut-downs. In January 2022, it was reported that the plant's CCS system captured 43 percent fewer metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2021 compared with the year before.

A September 2022 Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis report found that the CCS system operated significantly below the target capture rate of 90%. In fact, the average rate was only about 50%. The target had rarely been met for a single day, and was never met over an extended period of time.

In August 2023, the oil company Whitecap Resources announced a purchase agreement with SaskPower to buy CO₂ from Boundary Dam's Unit 3 CCS unit until December 2034. The CO₂ would be used for "carbon dioxide-enhanced oil recovery" at Whitecap's Weyburn Project, one of Saskatchewan's oldest oilfields.

According to an April 2024 analysis by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), the CCS attachment on Unit 3 had a long-term CO₂ capture rate of 57% as of the end of 2023. SaskPower had originally promised a 90% capture rate.

In July 2025, Unit 3 and its CCS facility returned to service after going offline in April 2025 for scheduled refurbishment and maintenance work.

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Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.