Keephills power station
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Keephills is a coal-fired power station owned and operated by TransAlta near Wabamun, Alberta in Canada.
Owner TransAlta said it plans to convert the power station's Units 1-2 from coal-fired generation to gas-fired generation in the 2021 to 2023 timeframe, for use until the mid-2030s.[1]
Contents
Location
The power plant is located 70 kilometers west of Edmonton, Alberta and five kilometers south of Wabamun Lake.[2]
Background
The station consists of the following units:
- Unit 1 and 2 are each 403 MW unit operated and owned by TransAlta. They were commissioned in 1983.[3]
- Unit 3 is a 495 MW supercritical unit, built as a joint venture between TransAlta and Capital Power Corporation. Construction on the plant began in February 2007.[4] It came onstream in 2011.The unit cost about US$1.98 billion to build.[5][6]
The plant is scheduled to convert to gas between 2021-2023. In May 2019 the Pioneer Gas Pipeline, which will connect the plant to the Tidewater Midstream’s Brazeau River natural gas complex, was completed four months ahead of schedule, enabling TransAlta to begin converting Keephill's units to gas in 2020.[7]
Ownership
TransAlta and Capital Power (formerly EPCOR) are equal partners in the ownership of Keephills 3, with Capital Power responsible for construction. TransAlta operates the facility.[8]
In August 2019 it was reported that Capital Power sold the 50% stake in the Keephills 3 unit to TransAlta Corporation in exchange for TransAlta's 50% share in Genesee 3 unit.[9]
Coal supply
TransAlta's Highvale coal mine supplies Keephills with coal.[10]
TransAlta pays for pro-coal research by University of Alberta
In July 2018 it was reported that TransAlta paid the University of Alberta $54,000 in 2015 to hand-pick a professor to generate pro-coal research and talking points to be used in lobbying government officials.[11]
Plant Data
- Owner: TransAlta Centralia Generation LLC
- Parent Company: TransAlta
- Plant Nameplate Capacity: 1,301 MW
- In-Service Dates: 1983 (Units 1-2), 2011 (Unit 3)
- Location: Wabamun, AB
- GPS Coordinates:
- Coal Consumption:
- Coal Source: Highvale coal mine
- Number of Employees:
Articles and Resources
Sources
- ↑ "TransAlta Board Approves Plan for Accelerating Transition to Clean Power in Alberta," TransAlta, Apr 19, 2017
- ↑ "Keephills" TransAlta Company Website, accessed April 30, 2010.
- ↑ Coal-Fired Plants in Canada Industcards, accessed April 2017
- ↑ "Keephills 3" TransAlta's Company Website, accessed May 5, 2010.
- ↑ Keephills 3, TransAlta, accessed April 2017
- ↑ "Keephills 3 power plant begins commercial operation," Capital Power, 2011-09-01
- ↑ New natural gas line for TransAlta switch off coal to be completed ahead of schedule, JWN Energy, May 15, 2019
- ↑ Transalta, "Keephills 3", Transalta website, accessed May 2012.
- ↑ Capital Power to gain 100% ownership and control of Genesee Generating Station through divestiture of interest in Keephills 3, Globe Newswire, Aug. 2, 2019
- ↑ "Highvale" TransAlta Mine Page, accessed May 5, 2010.
- ↑ How TransAlta used a university-sanctioned research project to lobby for the coal industry, CBC, Jul. 24, 2018
Related SourceWatch Articles
External Articles
- Phuong Le, "Wash. says deal will cut pollution at coal plant," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, September 10, 2009.
- Kathy Durbin, "Sierra Club Organizes Effort to Close Coal Fired Plant in Centralia," The Columbian, April 25, 2010
