Our Poplar River Power Station (PRPS) is located near Coronach and opened in 1981. PRPS has 2 units (PR1 and PR2). Together, they can produce582 megawatts (MW) of power – which is about one-third of Saskatchewan’s coal power supply.
Our Progress So Far
PR2
Life extension work on this unit is scheduled to begin after our work is finished on Unit 5 (phase 1) and Unit 6 at Boundary Dam Power Station. We’re expecting engineering design work to start in 2027, with all life extension work complete by end of 2031.
PR1
We’re expecting life extension work to be complete by end of 2033.
We also need to complete life extension work on common systems, known as PR0. These systems include the ash lagoon, coal handing equipment, and water treatment plant. They support day-to-day operation of all units at the PRPS. This work will happen at the same time as PR2.
Check out a timeline of our work at PRPS:
| Assessment | Engineering Design | Procurement | Construction | Commissioning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR1 | In progress | To start in 2029 | End of 2033 | ||
| PR2 | In progress | To start in 2027 | End of 2031 | ||
| PR0 | In progress | To start in 2027 | End of 2031 |
Exploration Drilling
To support the continuation of coal operations at PRPS, we need to identify new areas suitable for future coal mining.
In January 2026, we took samples at sites in the Coronach area. Starting in late May/June, more exploration drilling will happen in the Rural Municipality (RM) of Willow Bunch. We expect it to take a few months to complete.
Why do we need to drill?
Our current mining plan ends in 2030 and needs to be extended. Since some land hasn’t been drilled in more than 40 years, we need to get samples to update our data. The samples will help us determine:
- Tonnage – how much coal is in the ground
- Strip ratio – how much dirt and rock needs to be removed compared to the amount of coal available
- Coal quality – if the coal is good enough to use
