| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electricity |
| Headquarters | Calgary, AB, Canada |
| Key people | Stephen Snyder, President & CEO |
| Employees | 2,687 (2008)[1] |
| Website | www.transalta.com |
TransAlta Corporation (TSX: TA, NYSE: TAC; formerly Calgary Power) is a Canadian energy company based in Calgary, Alberta. It operates 51 power plants in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Australia. These plants have a total net ownership electricity generation capacity of 8,473 MW (as of December 2005). TransAlta owns 50% of CE Generation, and in 2002 purchased Vision Quest Windelectric Inc..
TransAlta has been generating electricity in Alberta since 1911. It is the province's largest electrical generator, with 4,882 MW in 2005. After deregulation in Alberta in 2001, the company sold its transmission and distribution network to Aquila, Inc.. The network was later acquired by Fortis Inc., a large utility company based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
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In 2007 TransAlta emitted 39.2 million tonnes of greenhouse gases.[2] This reflects a 4 percent increase over 2006 and is stated to be due to higher plant availability. On February 26, power generation was as follows:
| Type | MW of power |
|---|---|
| Coal | 4,921 |
| Coal (in development) | 225 |
| Gas | 2,470 |
| Wind | 154 |
| Wind (in development) | 162 |
| Hydro | 807 |
| Geothermal | 164 |
Transalta has been investing in wind energy since then. On May 28, 2008 the company announced that a further 66 MW would be added to its Summerview Wind farm in Alberta[3] at a cost of C$123 million. On April 3, 2008, it announced a deal with France-based Alstom to develop a carbon dioxide capture and storage project in Alberta. [4] The companies will spend $12 million on the first phase of the project on engineering, stakeholder relations and regulatory work. Testing would commence in 2012 and is expected to cut green house emissions by one million tonnes per year.
The Centralia Coal Mine, a TransAlta-owned coal mine located in the U.S. state of Washington, closed down on November 27, 2006. According to the official company web page of TransAlta the coal mine (located approximately six miles northeast of Centralia) had been in active commercial operation since 1971[5]. According to the "Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977", the life of a coal mine in the United States must include a reclamation period. Two thousand of the total 7,155 acres (28.96 km2) of surface mine have so far completed the reclamation cycle, while active reclamation continues in the remaining areas. TransAlta currently describes this process of the Centralia Mine as part of the company's effort to minimize its environmental impact[6].
The coal mine closure resulted in the loss of more than 550 union jobs, paying an average of more than $55,000 a year.[7] The Centralia Power Plant, also owned by TransAlta, will continue to operate with coal delivered from the Powder River Basin.
TransAlta, TransCanada, and Alstom are working together to develop a large carbon capture storage (CCS)[8][9][10] facility in Alberta, Canada. This CCS will trap carbon emissions into a storage device under the Earth so that it is not emitted into the atmosphere. By investing over $200 million dollars on this project, the purpose is to reduce carbon emissions and nitrogen oxide emissions by 90%.