• Jointly owned by Capital Power and TransAlta
• 495-gross-megawatt (MW) (450-MW net) coal-fired generating facility
• Construction led by Capital Power. Plant operated by TransAlta
• Capital Power and TransAlta independently dispatch and market their share of the unit’s electrical output
• Located approximately 70 km west of Edmonton, Alberta, adjacent to TransAlta’s Keephills power plant
• One of Canada’s cleanest, most advanced coal-fired facilities
  

Environmental Performance

• Superior environmental performance through an advanced air-quality-control system and supercritical boiler technology
• Emits 24% less carbon dioxide when producing the same amount of power previously generated by the Wabamun units retired by TransAlta in 2010
• Reduced emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrous oxides (NOx), and mercury by 60 to 80%
• Features:
• A flue-gas desulphurization unit for removing SO2 from the flue gas
• Low NOx staged burners to reduce NOx emissions
• A mercury emission control system, likely using activated carbon injection technology
• A high efficiency particulate collection system, using fabric filters (baghouse) to capture 99.9% of particulate emissions

Construction
Construction of Keephills 3 began in February 2007. At its peak, the project was regarded as one of Canada’s top ten biggest infrastructure projects, with a peak workforce of nearly 1,900 in March 2010. The project’s safety record was one of the best in the industry. 

Last updated: March 12, 2012