Ambitious Canadian coal power generation plan includes CO2 capture

Alberta’s total production is around 33 Mt/y of marketable coal. The Alberta Government and TransAlta are working together to kick-start a leading-edge coal-fired electricity generation plant that will capture and store up to 1 Mt/y of carbon dioxide. “Perfecting technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired electricity generation will not only have a significant impact in Alberta, but it could help throughout North America and in developing nations like China,” said Premier Ed Stelmach.

“This project provides an opportunity for Alberta to be a leader in developing game-changing carbon capture technology that could be used around the globe.”

Project Pioneer at the Keephills 3 plant west of Edmonton will use leading-edge technology to capture CO2. The CO2 will be used for enhanced oil recovery in nearby conventional fields, or stored almost 3 km underground. Alberta’s investment, through its C$2 billion Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Fund, will total C$431 million over the next 15 years. An additional C$5 million will be provided to the project to support front end engineering and design. The private partners are TransAlta, Capital Power and Alstom.