SaskPower exporting electricity to help Americans impacted by winter storm

SaskPower is helping people impacted by winter storms in the Southern U.S.

The Crown corporation began exporting 150 megawatts of electricity south of the border on Sunday, then bumped that number up to 175 megawatts four days later.

SaskPower said in a release that the exported power is being fed through an intertie into the Southwest Power Pool, which co-ordinates the flow of electricity across approximately 60,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines spanning 14 states.

The electricity will be used to help people left in the dark after severe winter storms blew through the Southern U.S. earlier this week.

The deep freeze brought temperatures of 2 to 22 C, causing a demand for power that madethe electric grid operator impose rotating blackouts, leaving nearly three million customers without electricity.

At least 30 people have died and thousands are still without power.

SaskPower said it managed to handle higher-than-normal peak loads during our own polar vortex earlier this month and will continue to offer its support to the U.S. as long as possible.

"In Saskatchewan we know first-hand the challenges posed by extreme winter weather, and being part of an integrated grid means that when called upon, we help each other out," Kory Hayko, SaskPower vice-president of transmission and industrial services said in a release.

"We have been able to help our neighbours in their time of need, while maintaining the stability of our grid and delivering reliable power to our customers."