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

• The multi-level perspective can explain switch points and transitions through relations of actors and their networks. • An effective network assemblage sets the stage for a switch point and transition. • Effective network assemblage can be one explanation for why certain policy instruments seem attractive at any given switch point. • Absence of renewable energy network assemblage like a 'prosumer' in Saskatchewan impacts transition to a renewables-based energy system. 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]