TransAlta
 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electricity |
| Founded | 1911  |
| Headquarters | Calgary, AB, Canada |
Key people | Stephen Snyder, President & CEO |
| Website | http://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 Newfoundland and Labrador.
Lewis County, Washington Mine closure
The Centralia Coal Mine closed down on November 27, 2006. The Centralia Steam-Electric plant will continue to operate with coal delivered from Wyoming and Montana. The coal mine closure resulted in the loss of over 550 union jobs, hitting the town of Centralia and the rest of Lewis County hard.
Photos
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TransAlta Calgary Headquarters.
Environmental Record
In 2007 Transalta emmited 39.2 million tonnes of greenhouse gases.[1] This reflects a 4 percent increase over 2006 and is stated to be due to higher plant availibility.
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[2] at a cost of C$123 million. On 3 April, it announced a deal with France-based Alstom to develop a carbon dioxide capture and storage project in Alberta. [3]The companies will spend $12 million on the first phase of the project on engineering, stakeholder relations and regulatory work. Testing would commence in 2012 and is expected to cut green house emissions by one million tonnes per year.
External links
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- ^ http://www.transalta.com/transalta/webcms.nsf/AllDoc/380284A8B087ABA48725740F005958F0/$File/TA%2007AR%20Sustainability.pdf
- ^ http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/business/story.html?id=8d665e71-b9cb-44a2-b69f-c274a8c14bc3
- ^ http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2008/04/03/transaltaalstom.html?ref=rss