TransAlta and the Centralia project in Washington State

I have spent a good portion of my career working in the power industry.  My first exposure was to the development and reclamation planning for TransAlta's mine and generation operations west of Edmonton.  That was also one of my first experiences with end pit lakes.  Those projects were fun and interesting as they allowed for tremendous innovation and creativity in the management of typical mine reclamation issues.  I also worked on coal projects in Thailand (EGAT) and Colombia (Drummond).  In 2004-06 I was again assisting TransAlta with their mining operations, but this time at the Centralia operations in Washington State.  We we working on their final reclamation design for a large end pit lake.  The issues were complex and complicated by a rather productive fishery in the drainage immediately adjacent to Centralia operations.


So it was with interest that I learned of recent decisions and agreements that will see those operations changed in the name of reducing carbon output.  After thrity years in the business, it is always interesting to watch the progress of projects that made up some of your own individual experience.

TransAlta sees role for coal as world aims to cut emissions

 

 

BY DINA O'MEARA, CALGARY HERALD; WITH FILES FROM REUTERSAPRIL 28, 2010COMMENTS (1)

 

 

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Cooling ponds for TransAlta Keephills coal-fired generating power plant, 70 kilometres west of Edmonton, Alta. on June 19, 2009.

Photograph by: Ryan Jackson/Canwest News Service, Ryan Jackson/Canwest News Service

CALGARY - Coal will continue to play a strong role in Alberta's power generation because of its abundance, at the same time governments work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, said TransAlta Corp.

During a conference call Tuesday, chief executive Steve Snyder noted Alberta's power scenario differed from that of Washington state where the company just signed an agreement to replace its coal-fired capacity by 2025.

Alberta's generation fleet still is weighed toward coal, and likely will remain so while provincial and federal governments work out emissions reduction policies and more natural gas and alternative power comes on line, Snyder noted during the first-quarter results call.

"Bottom line is, everyone is on the same wavelength, which is: we want to do something to physically reduce carbon dioxide," he said.

"We want to do it in an orderly fashion, and we don't want to take too much optionality out too soon because that could come back to haunt availability and supply and reliability 10, 15 years out."

Late Monday, TransAlta announced it had reached an agreement with Washington to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and replace generation capacity from the 1,367-megawatt Centralia plant within 15 years.

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