Transitioning from coal: Toward a renewables-based socio-technical regime in Saskatchewan

Abstract

This article analyzes the third (1994) and fourth (2015) epochs of Saskatchewan’s energy system and the actors and their networks associated with the transition into a renewable future. A case study method was employed using analyses of the structural, institutional and historical context of power production and energy systems transitions in Saskatchewan. The historic rise of coal is discussed but analysis focuses on the displacement of coal and the era of decarbonization and renewables. Actors, their problemitizations, and narrative processes complement the discussion of transitions away from coal and advancing renewables. The analysis provides policy implications for future coal phase-out including the rise of renewable cooperatives and prosumers.