With a symbolic flip of the switch, officials from TransCanada PipeLines and Agrium Inc. last week celebrated the completion of TransCanada’s new 80-megawatt (MW) natural gas-fired cogeneration power plant near Carseland.
Eighty MW of power is enough to meet the needs of approximately 80,000 average households.
This fall, the new plant will bring onstream a cost-efficient new source of environmentally responsible power, the companies say.
Under a 20-year agreement, the primary user of this power will be Agrium’s Carseland Nitrogen Operations. Additional power will be consumed by Agrium’s other Alberta nitrogen operations with the remaining surplus power going to the Alberta Power Pool.
“A key focus for TransCanada is power, and this plant is an excellent example of how we intend to continue to grow our cogeneration power business aggressively in Canada and the northern tier of the United States,” said Hal Kvisle, TransCanada’s chief executive officer. “We have the ability to develop similar customized cogeneration plants for a variety of other customers.”
Added John Van Brunt, Agrium’s president and CEO: “This project allows Agrium to cut costs by significantly reducing the use of the current boiler systems and replacing them with high thermal efficiency steam from the power plant.
“Agrium is proud to work with TransCanada PipeLines and the government of Alberta to usher in a new era of power industry deregulation.”
The Carseland power plant, about 40 kilometres southeast of Calgary, will produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions than providing the power without cogeneration.
Cogeneration uses excess heat captured from natural gas-fired electricity production to generate a second energy source – in this case steam, which will be used in on-site steam turbine-driven equipment and plant processes.
