Canadian Power Utility Aims to be Coal-Free by 2022

Canadian utility TransAlta says it plans to be entirely off coal at its thermal generating stations by the start of 2022, as it works to complete coal-to-gas conversions at its Sundance/Keephills generating complex west of Edmonton.

On February 1 it announced the completion of the C$85mn (US$66mn) conversion of Unit 6 at Sundance and advised that conversions of Units 2 and 3 at Keephills would be completed in June and December this year.

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“The full conversion of Sundance Unit 6 from thermal coal to natural gas is a significant landmark for TransAlta on its journey to transition off coal towards 100% clean electricity,” TransAlta CEO Dawn Farrell said. “Converting to natural gas from coal reduces our CO₂ emissions by half from approximately 1.05 tonnes CO₂e/MWh to approximately 0.52 tonnes CO₂e/MWh in 2021, and highlights TransAlta’s commitment to meet our own, and our customers’, E²SG needs.”

Alongside the Keephills work this year, TransAlta will have “significantly advanced” the repowering of Unit 5 at Sundance into a “highly-efficient” combined-cycle facility.

“By January 1, 2022, TransAlta’s Alberta thermal fleet will be fueled completely by natural gas and entirely off coal,” the utility said. “Once converted to gas, the units are anticipated to be able to run through to 2031 to 2039 – a significant lengthening of their asset lives.”

With the conversion work continuing, TransAlta said it is on track to reduce its emissions by more than 70% from 2005 levels by the end of 2022.