The coal-to-gas conversion at KH3 required a C$29-million investment, plus another C$38 million for gas infrastructure and maintenance projects. At its peak, the project provided nearly 600 construction jobs.
TransAlta spent a total of C$295 million on its coal-to-gas program that included conversion of Sundance Unit 6 in the first quarter of 2021, conversion of Keephills Unit 2 in the third quarter of 2021, conversion of Sheerness Units 1 and 2, plus construction of new high volume gas delivery infrastructure.
With the successful completion of the KH3 conversion and the planned closure of the Highvale coal mine on Dec. 31, 2021, TransAlta’s thermal facilities in Alberta are now a 100% natural gas operation. In aggregate, TransAlta has retired 3,794 MW of coal-fired generation capacity since 2018 while converting 1,659 MW to cleaner burning natural gas.
TransAlta is a growing clean energy provider whose portfolio includes hydro, wind, solar and battery assets.
(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)
