TransAlta Corp. announced on Wednesday it has completed its transition away from coal-based energy generation in Canada following coal-to-natural-gas conversions at facilities in Alberta.
In a news release, the Calgary-based company says the conversion of the Keephills Unit 3 power plant west of Edmonton to natural gas is the last of three plant conversions from coal the company has undertaken.
“The full conversion of Keephills Unit 3 (“KH3”) from thermal coal to natural gas is a significant milestone for TransAlta in its transition off coal. We are pleased to have completed this important step, nine years ahead of the government target,” said John Kousinioris, President and CEO of TransAlta. “Our coal transition is among the most meaningful carbon emissions reduction achievements in Canadian history.”
The company claims that switching to natural gas cuts the emissions intensity of the three converted units nearly in half. The company has spent $295 million since 2019 converting units at its Keephills, Sheerness, and Sundance power operations from coal to natural gas, according to CTV News Canada.
This project is a significant achievement for TransAlta towards its target to reduce 60 percent, or 19.7 million tons, of annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 over 2015 levels and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
With the successful conversions of the three power plants and the planned closure of the Highvale coal mine effective December 31, 2021, TransAlta’s thermal facilities in Alberta will have been fully transitioned to 100 percent natural gas operation.
Located south of Lake Wabamun, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) west of Edmonton, Alberta, Highvale Mine is one of three TransAlta-owned surface coal mines, and Canada’s largest surface strip coal mine, covering more than 12,600 hectares. Fu;; reclamation of the mine will begin on January 1, 2022.
In total, TransAlta has retired 3,794 MW of coal-fired generation capacity since 2018 while converting 1,659 MW to cleaner-burning natural gas.
TransAlta owns, operates, and develops a diverse fleet of electrical power generation assets in Canada, the United States, and Australia. Today, TransAlta is one of Canada’s largest producers of wind power and Alberta’s largest producer of hydroelectric power.
