TransAlta
| TransAlta
|
|
|---|---|
 |
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| legal form | Corporation ( public company ) |
| ISIN | CA89346D1078 |
| founding | 1909 |
| Seat | Calgary , Canada |
| management | Dawn Farrell, President & CEO |
| Number of employees | about 2,700 (2014) |
| sales | CAD 2,623 billion (2014) |
| Branch | Electricity supplier |
| Website | www.transalta.com |
TransAlta Corporation (TSX: TA, NYSE: TAC), based in Calgary , Alberta , is a large Canadian electricity producer active in the coal , natural gas , wind, and hydropower sectors. TransAlta operates 64 power plants in Canada , the USA and Australia . These represent a generation capacity of approx. 8,500 MW (as of 2014), of which coal 4,931 MW, natural gas 1,447 MW, wind energy 1,266 MW, hydropower 914 MW.
It is planned to reduce energy generation from coal to below 1,000 MW by 2030. The area that has grown the most in recent years is wind energy. Wind farms in the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick , Québec , Ontario, Alberta and the US state of Wyoming currently have a net generation capacity of 1,250 MW. It is planned that by 2030 more than half of the electricity generated will come from renewable energies.
Individual business areas
gas
TransAlta has 12 gas-fired power plants in Alberta, Ontario and Australia. This energy will play an increasingly important role in the TransAlta fuel mix. The new 150 MW South Hedland Power Station is currently being built in Western Australia. The 856 MW Sundance 7 gas facility in Alberta is being modernized.
Hydropower
Hydropower plants in Alberta were among the first TransAlta power generation plants. Many of these are still online today. The hydropower plants are located almost exclusively in Alberta and have a net output of 822 MW. They comprise 96 percent of the hydropower generated in the province of Alberta. The Ontario plant has a net output of 14 MW.
Wind energy
TransAlta is Canada's largest publicly traded wind energy producer with 1,122 MW output in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick. In 2013, the group entered the US wind market with the acquisition of 144 MW wind farms in Wyoming. Wind power currently provides around 15 percent of the total output, a further increase to around 25 percent is planned. The wind energy is generated under the umbrella of "TransAlta Renewables", in which TransAlta has a 70% stake.
coal
TransAlta owns six coal-fired power plants that are used to generate the base load. The Canadian coal-fired power plants are all in Alberta: Sundance, Keephills, Keephills 3, Genesee 3, and Sheernes. They have a total capacity of 3,591 MW. TransAlta also owns the Highvale Mine in Alberta and the 1,340 MW Centralia Coal Power Plant in Washington State.
history
1909-1919
In 1909, Calgary Power Company Limited was founded by William Maxwell Aitken. As the company's first president, he focused on the design and construction of the Horseshoe Falls hydropower plant. In 1916, while living in England, Aitken served as Minister of Information and Minister of Supply under British Prime Ministers Lloyd George and Winston Churchill and was a member of the House of Lords, entitled "First Baron of Beaverbrook". He died in Surrey, England in 1964.
1920-1929
Electricity was now being used in many new fields - from street lights to electr. Trams to movies - this contributed to the exploration and early economic success of the Province of Alberta.
1930-1939
During the Great Depression, the Calgary Power Company succeeded in not having to lay off any employees. In 1937 the "modern fully electric kitchen" advertising campaign was launched.
1940-1949
With the beginning of the Second World War, many employees were drafted into the army. In 1941 the company began to assign fixed numbers to employees. Jal Abelseth of the Seebe was number 00001.
1950-1959
The "baby boomer generation" was born and the economy experienced an enormous boom. By 1950, the Calgary Power Company had more than 400 employees and offices in Alberta, including Edmonton, Camrose, Wetaskiwin, Calgary, and Lethbridge.
1960-1969
In 1961, the Calgary Power Company celebrated its 50th anniversary. During this time the company gained more and more experience in power generation.
1970-1979
In the early 1970s, society became more environmentally conscious. Calgary Power responded by retrofitting boilers with electrostatic precipitators that removed 99.5 percent of the fly ash from the discharge. As interest rates rose, Calgary Power continued to expand to keep pace with the needs of a growing province.
1980-1989
In 1981 the group was renamed from "Calgary Power Company" to "TransAlta". During that decade, the business continued to grow to the point where 81 percent of Alberta's electricity was generated by Calgary Power.
1990-1999
In the 1990s, measures for sustainable energy generation were introduced. The first major investment in wind energy was made in this decade.
2000-2009
TransAlta was the first Canadian power generation company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The company has since grown to become the largest private energy producer in Canada.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ annual report 2014. (PDF) www.transalta.com, accessed on July 6, 2015 .
- ↑ annual report 2014. (PDF) www.transalta.com, accessed on July 6, 2015 .
- ↑ annual report 2014. (PDF) www.transalta.com, accessed on July 6, 2015 .
- ↑ annual report 2014. (PDF) www.transalta.com, accessed on July 6, 2015 .
- ^ Coal transition. www.transalta.com, accessed July 6, 2015 .
- ↑ annual report 2014. (PDF) www.transalta.com, accessed on July 6, 2015 .
- ↑ annual report 2014. (PDF) www.transalta.com, accessed on July 6, 2015 .
- ↑ history-100-years-100-people. www.transalta.com, accessed July 10, 2015 .
- ↑ history. www.transalta.com, accessed July 10, 2015 .