Photo: From left, MLA Lloyd Snelgrove, Mayor Jeff Mulligan, CEO John Lau, Premier Brad Wall, Heather Lau and Cana Construction president John Simpson, broke ground on Husky Energy’s latest initiative - a new energy efficient main office building - on Tuesday. - Katie Ryan Photo
By Katie Ryan
“Mr. Lau, good things are announced when you come to Lloydminster,” said Vermilion – Lloydminster MLA, Lloyd Snelgrove, of Husky Energy’s president and CEO.
John C.S. Lau was in the Border City Tuesday afternoon to dig into a new chapter of Husky Energy’s work in the community – the construction of a new main office building. Snelgrove was one of many dignitaries present at the sod turning ceremony, including Mayor Jeff Mulligan, Premier Brad Wall and many Husky employees.
The new environmentally friendly building will be built next to Husky’s existing main office, located east on Highway 16 at 45 Avenue.
Lau said in the years he has been CEO, the company has worked hard to expand its work and Tuesday’s events marked Husky’s next ‘green’ step forward.
“Husky recognizes that in order to attract qualified, talented employees it must create a safe, productive and quality working environment,” said Lau, adding that the new energy-efficient building signals Husky’s commitment to its employee. “Together we are going to build a legacy.”
“The city has a long history of being in partnership with Husky Energy, but not just in partnership – in a partnership on largely progressive initiatives,” said Mayor Jeff Mulligan, during the ceremony.
The new office building is touted as ‘state-of-the-art’ and will feature a number of sustainable features for its 170 employees, including high performance glazing walls, use of solar panels to reduce energy consumption, a garden and R30 roof insulation. The three story building which is approximately 100,000 square feet above grade with a 10,000 square foot partial basement, promises to have minimal environmental impact, however it promises to have a big impact in the community in terms of future expansion and job creation.
“We focus on eco-sensitivity,” said Lau. “When you expand you require a lot of engineers, operators and as far as Husky is concerned we are going to stay for many years to come.”
In terms of future expansion, the upgrader, residential land development near the main office building and a Husky village/ convention centre are on its list of long term goals.
“I just had to come down and see if it was true that you were actually stealing all of this business into Saskatchewan,” joked Snelgrove. “The partnership we have formed as provinces reflects the fact that that oil doesn’t know where line is down there and our businesses shouldn’t have to know it either.”
Since 1946 Husky has been a part of Saskatchewan’s energy sector. A large part in fact, according to Premier Brad Wall.
“Lives have been changed because jobs have been created, investment has happened in our province, and all these years later we are here to celebrate the most recent development on the part of Husky,” said Premier Brad Wall, adding that Husky is the number one producer of oil in Saskatchewan.
“Ninety-one thousand, two hundred barrels a day, 3,450 oil wells – not that we are counting in the government or in the Ministry of Finance,” chuckled Wall.
Construction on the new building – which will be roughly twice the size of the current main office – should commence in in the coming weeks and is expected to be completed over the next 15 months.
“I want to say to Husky that I don’t think governments say often enough to companies interested in creating jobs and affect in a positive way, the future of communities like Lloydminster and provinces like Saskatchewan – I want to say thank you very, very much,” said Wall.
Husky has extensive infrastructure and production facilities in this “core” area of its operations, including an asphalt refinery, the heavy oil Upgrader, co-generation power plant, ethanol plant, logistics centre and pipelines.