With the start of a new year, the federal carbon tax is again increasing, this year up to $50/tonne, a $10 rise from last year.

That means for some industries that are not able to cut back on their carbon output, those increased costs may get passed on to consumers.

For one industry, that increase won't be coming, thanks to its commitment to clean energy.

SaskPower spokesperson Joel Cherry details what they'd usually have to do in a case like this.

"SaskPower needs to pass that cost onto our customers by collecting the federal carbon tax on customer bills. However, the amount charged per customer, you know it varies on consumption," said Cherry, "But the rate that our customers will pay in 2022 will be the same as what they paid in 2021."

The reason that SaskPower can afford to take that hit instead is that they're paying less in the carbon tax, due to their increased investment into renewable and low-emission energy sources.

"The reason for this is that we've changed the way we're generating power. We have reduced emissions, we're forecasting from coal generation in 2022, we've retired one of our coal units in Estevan, and we're gonna be adding more than 400 megawatts of wind and solar," said Cherry, "So renewable, emissions-free energy."

As those total emissions lower, customers may continue to see electricity rates stay similarly priced.

"For a number of reasons," said Cherry, "Our total carbon emissions are going down, and that reflects our broader commitment to reduce our carbon emissions. It's an ongoing process to change the way that our system works and the way that we generate power, and that helps to protect our customers from some of the effects of the federal carbon tax."