Keephills power station
| Part of the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker, a Global Energy Monitor project. |
| Related categories: |
Keephills power station is an operating power station of at least 898-megawatts (MW) in Highvale, Parkland, Alberta, Canada with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Keephills power station | Highvale, Parkland, Alberta, Canada | 53.447667, -114.45147 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3: 53.447667, -114.45147
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | cancelled | coal - subbituminous, fossil gas - natural gas | 403.2 | subcritical | – | 1983 | 2021 |
| Unit 2 | operating | coal - subbituminous, fossil gas - natural gas | 403.2 | subcritical | – | 1983 | 2021 |
| Unit 3 | operating | coal - subbituminous, fossil gas - natural gas | 495 | supercritical | – | 2011 | 2021 |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner |
|---|---|
| Unit 1 | TransAlta Generation Partnership [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | TransAlta Generation Partnership [100.0%] |
| Unit 3 | TransAlta Generation Partnership [100.0%] |
Background
The station consists of the following units:
- Units 1 and 2 are each 403 MW units operated and owned by TransAlta. They were commissioned in 1983.[1]
- 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.[2] It came onstream in 2011. The unit cost about US$1.98 billion to build.[3][4]
In April 2017 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.[5]
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.[6] In May 2020 TransAlta's CEO Dawn Farrell confirmed on a quarterly earnings call with investors that Keephills would be converted to gas in 2021.[7]
In November 2020 TransAlta announced that the Highvale mine which supplies coal for Keephills would be retired in 2021. Units 1-3 will all be converted to run on gas in 2021.[8] Once converted to gas, the units are anticipated to be able to run from 2031 to 2039.[9] Unit 2 was converted to gas in July 2021.[10] The conversion of the other two units was completed in Dec. 2021.[11]
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.[12]
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.[13]
Coal supply
TransAlta's Highvale coal mine supplies Keephills with coal.[14]
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.[15]
Coal Plant Data
- Owner: TransAlta Centralia Generation LLC
- Parent Company: TransAlta
- Plant Nameplate Capacity: 1,301 MW
- Gross generating capacity (operating):
- Gross generating capacity (announced):
- Location: Wabamun, AB
- GPS Coordinates: 53.4483, -114.4507
- Coal Consumption:
- Coal Source: Highvale coal mine
- Number of Employees:
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 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
- ↑ "TransAlta Board Approves Plan for Accelerating Transition to Clean Power in Alberta," TransAlta, Apr 19, 2017
- ↑ New natural gas line for TransAlta switch off coal to be completed ahead of schedule, JWN Energy, May 15, 2019
- ↑ TransAlta Corp (TAC) Q1 2020 Earnings Call Transcript, Motley Fool, May 12, 2020
- ↑ TransAlta to end coal mining operations at Highvale in 2021, stop using coal in Canada, Edmonton Journal, Nov. 4, 2020
- ↑ TransAlta Completes First Off-Coal Conversion and Achieves Major Milestone in Phase Out of Coal, TransAlta, Feb. 1, 2021
- ↑ TransAlta completes second of three planned Alberta plant conversions to natural gas, Jul. 19, 2021
- ↑ TransAlta achieves full phase-out of coal in Canada, Canadian Mining Journal, Jan. 4, 2022
- ↑ 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
- ↑ https://transalta.com/plants-operation/keephills/
- ↑ https://transalta.com/newsroom/news-releases/transalta-completes-second-off-coal-conversion-another-major-milestone-in-its-phase-out-of-coal/
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 https://transalta.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/TAC2020_AnnualReport_March12.pdf
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of gas-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
