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“Taking responsibility for operating a state-of-the-art generating facility, which provides Albertans with a source of reliable, economical and environmentally responsible electricity represents a significant milestone for TransAlta,” says Steve Snyder, TransAlta President & CEO.

“Congratulations and thanks to the team at Capital Power for their work on this project,” adds Snyder.

Although the construction site was one of the largest and busiest in Alberta, with nearly 1,900 people working on the project at the peak of construction in March 2010, the project’s safety record was one of the best in the industry.

“Safety has been a top priority for our contractors and crews throughout construction of the project,” said Capital Power President & CEO Brian Vaasjo. “We are pleased to finish construction with one of the best safety records in the industry, with less than one lost time incident per 1.7 million hours worked.”

Keephills 3 joins the TransAlta/Capital Power jointly owned Genesee 3 facility as one of Canada’s cleanest coal-fired facilities. Keephills 3 is equipped with an advanced air quality control system, which achieves superior environmental performance and uses supercritical boiler technology, which features higher boiler temperatures and pressures, and a high-efficiency steam turbine. Because less fuel is used, the facility will

Building community connections November 2011

Kilowatt Connection.

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Keephills 3Canada’s most advanced coal-fired facility at 450 megawatts produces enough electricity to power approximately 505,000 homes annually

A Special Edition dedicated to Keephills 3 – a power generating facility jointly owned by TransAlta and Capital Power

In the words of Dan Billett, operations shift supervisor, “It’s a privilege to work at Keephills 3. It means so much to me to come from what was our oldest coal-fired facility, Wabamun to the newest and most advanced.”

From the K3 administration supervisor, Linda Cull’s perspective, “I began my work on the K3 project in July 2007 and for me it’s an honour to be working here to support operations. Throughout the project there were many challenges and we pulled resources together to resolve any issues. Now that Keephills 3 is operating, it’s rewarding.”

In the words of Rod Poirier, maintenance lead hand, “I was the first person in Maintenance hired to work at K3 and working here during commissioning was a good experience and a great way to learn the equipment. Overall, it was a big commitment but I was prepared for it and ready to put in the long hours,” adds Rod.

Read more about the people who work at Keephills 3 on page 3.

September 1, 2011 marked a major achievement for TransAlta and Capital Power as Keephills 3 (K3) completed the construction phase of work and started commercial operation as the newest asset in TransAlta’s fleet.

What does working at Keephills 3 mean to the people who work there?

emit approximately 24 per cent less carbon dioxide (CO2) in producing the same amount of power previously

generated by the Wabamun units fully retired by TransAlta in 2010.

Dan Billett

Rod Poirier

A pictorial storyline follows at the bottom of each page

showing images of construction at Keephills 3 from 2007 to 2010.

Message from Dawn Farrell, Chief Operating Officer

The commissioning of a new plant is always exciting. It represents the culmination of years of hard work by hundreds of people, each of whom played an instrumental role in the creation of the plant.

Keephills 3 is no exception. We began the engineering and permitting work for this plant in 2006. Five years, 1900 people, and 8.2 million work hours later, Keephills 3 is one of the most advanced coal generation facilities in the world. With supercritical boiler technology this state-of-the-art coal plant will use less coal per megawatt hour as we meet the essential power needs of Albertans.

We are also leading the way with cleaner technologies for coal power generation. This plant is equipped with the latest in environmental control equipment reducing our impact to the environment. Keephills 3 will reduce our emissions in carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxides and particulate matter.

And, we can’t forget the positive impact it has on Alberta. As we face a growing economy, Keephills 3 is a solid source of reliable, base-load power. With a net generation capacity of 450 megawatts, this plant has the potential to power more than 505,000 homes annually for decades to come.

This only scratches the surface of all the amazing facts behind the building of this new plant. Please take the time to read this special bulletin cover to cover and learn more about the achievements many diverse teams achieved together from TransAlta, Capital Power and many others who helped to build this world-class plant.

And, as we begin our first year of operations, I would personally like to thank each and every project team member, site worker and community member who played a role in the completion of Keephills 3.

The K3 nerve centre: Understanding the Control RoomIn the modern and technologically advanced Control Room at Keephills 3 all plant systems are completely automated. “Everything runs in automatic – the unit simply cannot run in manual,” says Dan Billett, operations shift supervisor.

For Billett, the shift to an automated control room environment at K3 meant a steep learning curve after coming from TransAlta’s Wabamun plant where many of the controls had to operate in manual due to the age and different unit operating characteristics. Moving to K3 in July 2009, Billett spent hundreds of hours learning the new technically advanced systems. Billett initially started his training on the new controls job shadowing at Genesee 3 and then spent time on the simulator there.

With the state-of-the-art control technology, if a unit trips, most valves are controlled from the Control Room by a computer using an ABB control system. “Turbine start-up is done by another computer control system called “HIACS”. Any run-ups or shut downs of the turbine are virtually done by this computer,” explains Billett. “There are established operating parameters and sequences that must be followed on these computers.” Today’s modern control room works as mostly a

monitoring “nerve” centre with very little interaction by the operator. The operator is there to ensure the unit runs to its designed capability by making slight changes as required and at all times, operating the unit safely and efficiently.

“Now, after learning what needs to happen under different scenarios and conditions, all operators are here to ensure the proper sequences, parameters and limitations are followed,” adds Billett. Any adjustments or corrections to these sequences can be tested on the K3 simulator which also serves as a critical training tool for the operations team.

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FSC logo

What is supercritical technology? Keephills 3 uses supercritical boiler technology, which features higher boiler temperatures and pressures. Starting with a brief lesson from elementary school science helps to explain what supercritical technology is.

Matter can occur in three distinct states – gas, liquid or solid. The state a particular substance occurs in and the point at which it changes from one state to another is dependent on temperature and pressure. A supercritical steam generator operates at such a high pressure, boiling ceases to occur. The steam generator has no interface point between water and steam. There is no generation of steam bubbles within the water, because the pressure is above the critical pressure at which steam bubbles can form.

K3’s steam generator operates at temperatures and pressures above the temperature and pressure in which the liquid and gas phases of water co-exist. “In this state

there is no difference between water as a liquid and as a gas,” says Lloyd Bures, Keephills 3 operations manager.

The supercritical steam drives a high efficiency steam turbine. A supercritical unit operates with steam turbine inlet conditions as high as 24,000 kilopascals (kpa) and 571 degrees Celcius (3,500 psi/1,060 F). In contrast, most North American power plants are of the subcritical type, producing steam at approximately 16,600 kpa and 538 degrees Celcius (2,400 psi/1,000 F) to drive a steam turbine-generator set.

As a result, K3 is more efficient using less coal per megawatt-hour, leading to lower emissions and lower fuel consumption per megawatt-hour. Because less fuel is used, the facility emits approximately 24 per cent less carbon dioxide (CO2) in producing the same amount of power previously generated by the Wabamun units fully retired by TransAlta in 2010.

Mass excavation, site preparation Feb. 2007

Turbine hall site preparation Feb. 2007

Cooling water pipe delivery March 2007

Mass excavation site March 26, 2007

KEEPHILLS 3 COAL FIRED POWER PLANT

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Induced Draft Fan Pulverizer

CoalBunker

CoalConveyors

Fabric Filter & Flue Gas DesulphurizationThe FGD removes sulphur dioxide and the fabric filter

removes ash from the flue gas.

SupercriticalBoiler

Turbine

Generator

Transformer

TransmissionLine Tower

Coal SupplyThe coal is conveyed to the top of the coal bunker inside the power plant building.

Power House BuildingThe power house building houses the boiler, turbine-generator and other auxiliary equipment. This equipment must be protected from the weather and from freezing in the winter.The coal bunker stores a supply of coal for the boiler so that the boiler can continue operating if problems develop with the coal handling system.The pulverizer grinds the coal into a fine powder (coal dust). The coal dust is delivered to the boiler burners via a high velocity air stream generated by the primary air fan, where it mixes and burns with additional air from the forced draft fan. Inside the boiler, the coal is burned and the resulting heat is used to boil water and generate steam.

The StackThe combustion products from the boiler are termed "flue gas". This gas is hot and is discharged from the top of the stack. The height of the stack ensures that the flue gas safely disperses the combustion products with minimal impact on the environment.

Turbine GeneratorIn the turbine, the steam generated by theboiler is converted into mechanical powerto drive the generator.The generator converts the mechanicalpower into electrical power. The electricalpower is converted to a higher voltage bythe generator transformer. The highvoltage electrical power is put on thetransmission line and transmittedthroughout Alberta via the electrical grid.

Generator

Cooling WaterThe cooling water circulates from the cooling towers to a heat exchanger beneath the turbine where it cools the condensate or steam and water from the boiler which is then is re-circulated back to the boiler.

K3 Control Room


Meet the people who are part of the current Keephills 3 team and others who played a role in the K3 Project We asked what it means to be working at Keephills 3.

Craig Beattie, plant managerIt’s very rewarding to be managing Canada’s newest and most advanced coal-fired facility. I have tremendous pride in building a team and congratulate all team members for their contributions to reach full operations. Everyone did the work and did it very well. We have a diverse group of people who were very driven toward the end result. The team was exceptional in their determination to overcome issues and challenges by finding solutions or alternatives.

I have a lot of pride in the facility and as plant manager, I accept the responsibility to lead safe and reliable operations and to preserve the pride many of us feel in our newest asset.

Lloyd Bures, operations managerIt’s been a privilege to be part of the K3 project – a career highlight. To have been able to participate from the design review stage through construction, commissioning and commercial operation, provides an entire perspective of what it takes to build a power plant.

Working with a diverse and multi-skilled group of people has been a rewarding experience. K3 is the result of the collective efforts of many.

The teamwork that made commissioning a success will help ensure successful commercial operation.

That is the foundation of K3 and what I strive for as the operations manager.

Brian Henkel, maintenance managerIt was an incredible opportunity and great learning experience for me. What stands out in my mind is working with people with such determination to get the job done right. We established our maintenance strategies for K3 building from the ground up. We developed preventative maintenance plans for every piece of equipment and fostered strong relationships with the manufacturers including, Hitachi and Babcock & Wilcox.

Commissioning Keephills 3 was the greatest challenge to date in my career, but also the most rewarding.

Colleen Plooy, schedulerIn my role, I’m committed to doing everything to ensure we succeed. Following our Work Management philosophy it’s important to be proactive and also to get all of the work flowing smoothly.

Derek Malone, K3 operations simulator trainerI started working on the K3 project in 2007 at the Worley Parsons offices and was the TransAlta lead for the simulator project. It’s been a great learning experience to be involved with a state-of-the-art plant and to learn and understand new technologies. It’s increased my skills as an operator and also as a trainer.

It’s great that I first gained my operating background on our older units. This gave me an excellent foundation for many of the different simulation sequences which we test on a daily basis.

Anita Stocker, lab supervisor and safety advisorIt’s been a great opportunity to work on state-of-the-art equipment taking into consideration both safety and chemistry aspects. And especially to be part of building a world-class chemistry program right from scratch.

Jim Vollans, projects supervisorThroughout the project it’s been amazing to have seen this whole facility grow from the ground up. I’ve walked down the trenches, saw concrete floors poured in the winter, six-story high coal bunkers dropped into position and also witnessed the assembly of the massive dragline. This project has been about team work and everyone worked very hard and did not give up – we always kept at it.

Anita Stocker

Jim Vollans Christine Glober

Colleen Plooy

From left: Brian Henkel, Craig Beattie and Lloyd Bures

Administration team from left: Brenda Hurley, Amy Allen, Brenda Trueman and Linda Cull

From left: Dan MacDonald, power plant operator and Derek Malone, K3 operations simulator trainer

First pile driven March 30, 2007

First installation of cooling water pipe April 12, 2007

Cooling water pipe installation April 2007

Boiler house piles June 2007

Christine Glober, labourerIt’s great to be working at a brand new plant and it’s interesting to be here as this is a joint venture plant using new technology. In a way it’s being part of our history.


The Engineering story

Interview with Dave Conlin, K3 Project Director: Dave led the Keephills 3 project from February 2007 to September 1, 2011Congratulations to you and the entire project team on achieving first-class safety performance during the Keephills 3 construction project. Why do you think the K3 project safety record was so excellent?

Our construction safety performance was due to the leadership provided by the Capital Power and WorleyParsons construction management team and our contractors. Later, through the commissioning period, the Capital Power commissioning and TransAlta operating teams were diligent in implementing TransAlta’s and Capital Power’s safety programs.

This was truly a team effort with all players aligned to ensure we developed and maintained the safest working environment possible for everyone working at the site. The last three million man hours on the project were worked without a lost-time incident which goes to show that even on a large construction site, where workers come from all over Canada and from different experiences and backgrounds, a culture of working safely can be built up and excellent safety performance can be achieved.

After leading the building of Genesee 3, can you share with us what was different in regards to the Keephills 3 project?

Genesee 3 was built primarily through an engineering and procurement contract where construction management was done under contract by a third party who took responsibility for cost, quality and schedule. Overall responsibility for safety on that site remained with Capital Power. For Keephills 3, Capital Power and TransAlta undertook the responsibility for all aspects of construction, requiring the building of large construction and commissioning teams to manage the work. Keephills 3 was also physically a larger project with the addition of a coal-handling facility, cooling tower, water treatment plant and other services.

What were some of the key challenges that the K3 project team dealt with? And how did you resolve them?

Most of the key challenges were experienced during the course of construction. Early on we had some surprises

with the varying geotechnical conditions across the site which forced us into doing more winter construction than we planned for. Then due to the economic conditions prevalent at the time we experienced a shortage of trades to erect the building steel and we had to bring in a work force from Quebec to erect the turbine building. The labour shortage in other trades continued through the whole of the construction period despite the economic turndown that occurred. We found ourselves in competition with Fort McMurray in attracting out-of-province trades workers to Keephills 3.

Through the course of the project we experienced a number of threats to our supply chain. These included a major earthquake in China, hurricane Gustav, a trucker strike in Korea, to name a few. In addition, we had a major piece of equipment damaged during transportation and it had to be returned to the factory in Korea for repair. Early in 2011, we were all horrified at the news coming out of Japan due to the Tsunami that disrupted our major supplier (Hitachi) for a number of weeks and directly affected some of their staff working on our site who lost their homes. All these issues were overcome without major impact to the project but they show how a globally supplied project like Keephills 3 can be vulnerable to world events.

Anything else you want to add?

Together, Capital Power and TransAlta have built a valuable asset for both companies, that is meeting or exceeding the performance specifications agreed upon five years ago. I would like to congratulate all who worked on the Keephills 3 Project, including our own staff and our suppliers and contractors who all worked very hard, sometimes at personal expense, to make this project a success. Thank you to everyone.

Interview with Ron Korzan, health and safety advisor, K3Safety is a core value at TransAlta and our goal is everybody goes home safe, every day. Ron Korzan was part of the team that worked to integrate K3’s safety program into TransAlta’s overall health and safety management system.

Safety performance throughout commissioning was exceptional – what do you think led to this success?

For the most part, all TransAlta employees that came on board had experience with TransAlta health and safety standards however Keephills 3 was a new experience and environment with new equipment. Time was dedicated to learn the new equipment and systems prior to any of these systems going live. Operations leaders were very diligent in ensuring procedures were carefully planned before energizing any of the equipment or systems. Overall, the whole team pulled together and worked to define and manage the hazards through the end of construction and commissioning activities.

Explain what had to be done in order to establish a health and safety program at K3?

The Alberta Thermal EHS Management System and its health and safety standards and procedures were the basis of the health and safety program at K3. A large number of the elements were applicable and a lot of hard work led by management was completed to gradually incorporate these TransAlta procedures. It was also important to identify and address new hazards presented by new processes and create new standards and procedures to address these hazards.

Designing and engineering Canada’s most advanced coal-fired facility was overall a massive undertaking yet a rewarding learning experience for the entire engineering team.

“The sheer size of the facility, coupled with the complex specifications of the new technology created a large volume of work which required thorough analysis and design from engineers in many disciplines,” explains Jamie Hodel, project engineer, Keephills 3.

In comparison to conventional boiler technology, the equipment and materials required to create the unit’s supercritical boiler technology are typically larger, uncommon and sometimes rare. Extensive documentation, review and approvals are necessary but are more complex. At peak, the engineering team was comprised of more than 70 engineers including members from WorleyParsons, the project’s engineering consulting firm. “The teamwork and communication displayed

between team members was outstanding and contributed to efficient decision making throughout the process,” observed Hodel.

“Strong, collaborative relationships between our construction and engineering teams were critical to our success. As with all projects, we knew there would be challenges along the way. The importance of having all parties working together to get problems resolved quickly cannot be understated,” adds Hodel.

Boiler house floor Aug. 2007

Stack foundation Oct. 2007

K3 construction site Feb. 2008

Coal bunkers May 2008

Turbine/generator

Project Pioneer: Charting the course for carbon capture and storageFresh on the heels of commissioning Keephills 3 (K3), TransAlta is taking a leading role in Project Pioneer – one of Canada’s first fully-integrated carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects from the power sector.

Project backgroundProject Pioneer represents a major step toward advancing the capture of greenhouse gas emissions. Pioneer holds the promise to remove 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually from K3’s emissions, the equivalent of removing 160,000 cars from our roads every year.

The Project will provide the opportunity to fully explore all aspects of the CCS process – from capture through to sequestration and enhanced oil recovery. CO2 can also be used to increase the amount of recoverable oil from oil reserves. This process is referred to as enhanced oil recovery.

Project scopeThe proposed project entails the construction of a large-scale CCS facility at K3 which will be designed to safely capture, transport and store carbon dioxide (CO2). A pipeline system is also proposed. One pipeline would transport the CO2 from the Keephills 3 facility to the sequestration site and another pipeline would transport the CO2 from K3 to the Pembina oilfield southwest of K3 for use in enhanced oil recovery.

PartnersProject Pioneer brings together public and private partners who are the leading experts in each key aspect required for the success of this unique initiative. Capital Power is the generation partner in the Project and co-owner of K3. Enbridge is the transportation and storage lead in the project. The Governments of Canada and Alberta are contributing public funding for the project along with Global CCS Institute which aims to advance CCS knowledge around the world.

Current activitiesMark MacKay, VP engineering and construction, says that an important recent development in the project is a switch to a new carbon removal technology called ‘amine technology.’ “One of the objectives of Project Pioneer is to demonstrate this technology at a near commercial scale yet still fit within the cost structure of a government funded project. Our goal is to demonstrate these technologies have the potential to be economically viable when deployed across the power industry.” continues MacKay.

An evaluation program is also underway to ensure a well-selected site for CO2 storage. This includes drilling an evaluation well to verify the geology of the area and to confirm its potential to safely store CO2.


The Future of coal-fired generationAn interview with Don Wharton, VP Sustainable DevelopmentWhat is coal’s role as a future power source?

Coal is the dominant fuel for power generation worldwide and continues to increase in use. By 2030, the International Energy Agency estimates 43 per cent of the world’s electricity will be generated from coal. Coal has historically been an important component of Canada’s energy mix and is a plentiful, secure and low-cost fuel for TransAlta’s Alberta thermal fleet. However, there are environmental concerns associated with its use. TransAlta’s view is that these concerns can be resolved through technologies such as carbon capture and storage, advanced air pollution controls and improved water management.

What is TransAlta’s philosophy regarding clean coal?

For over a decade, TransAlta has been proactively committed to finding a solution that will allow us to continue using coal as a source of fuel. We believe it is possible to solve the emissions challenge by finding technology that is socially acceptable in terms of lower emissions, and providing consumers with competitively priced electricity.

What commitments has TransAlta made to advance clean coal technologies?

TransAlta has made a major commitment through its leading role in Project Pioneer, one of the world’s largest, integrated carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects to be located at Keephills 3. Project Pioneer has the potential to capture one million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. This large-scale demonstration project is essential to furthering the development of full-scale CCS technologies.

The benefits of secure, reliable and low-cost power are fundamental to our economic well-being and that’s why TransAlta remains committed to developing CCS and other combustion technology solutions for coal.

Demonstrating our environmental commitment At all of TransAlta’s facilities our commitment to protecting the environment is a core value and a corporate responsibility, as well as a personal responsibility of each employee and contractor working on TransAlta’s behalf.

At K3, TransAlta’s Environmental Services Team established maintenance and operations procedures for the plant’s environmental equipment and processes, including the advanced air quality control system, mercury controls and the stack emission analyzers. During commissioning the team was an integral part of the boiler performance testing and the stack instrument and emission certification testing.

“Prior to start-up of the facility it was important to ensure all environmental risks were addressed and that all monitoring equipment was ready for continuous operation,” comments Bryan Wilson, environmental technologist.

The Environmental Services Team actively monitors and reports environmental impacts to air, land and water at K3. Air-emissions control is a particular focus at K3 and the new technologies required by the plant’s operating approvals have significantly lower air emission levels than conventional coal technology.

As we do at all of our Alberta Coal plants we continue to operate our assets in an environmentally sound manner, working to meet or exceed environmental legislation requirements.

Turbine pedestal May 2008

First coal bunker placed into position June 2008

Stack construction June 26, 2008

Boiler house June 28, 2008

“...Our goal is to demonstrate these technologies have the potential to be economically viable when deployed across the power industry.”

“Prior to start-up of the facility it was important to ensure all environmental risks were addressed and that all monitoring equipment was ready for continuous operation.”

From left: Bryan Wilson and Derry Burge with the mercury continuous emissions monitoring system analyzer www.projectpioneer.ca


Explaining the air quality control system

Explaining the water systems in use at Keephills 3Water for Keephills 3 is drawn from the Keephills 1 and 2 cooling and raw water ponds, and is used in the following systems:

Boiler make-up waterThe K3 Water Treatment Plant plays a crucial part in the power generation process as it removes impurities commonly found in raw water. As water evaporates in the steam generator, the feed-water impurities concentrate. Even small amounts of iron, copper and silica can accumulate causing serious deposit problems. There is a team at K3 which conduct the necessary tests to ensure the make-up water is ultra-pure and will not deposit impurities in the steam generator. Closed cooling water system “The cooling water system at K3 is different than the

other plants in TransAlta’s coal fleet,” explains Lloyd Bures, Keephills 3 operations manager. “The water system is a completely closed loop, much like the cooling system in your car. Water circulates through piping which removes heat from the processes and equipment using heat exchangers. Water then travels to the cooling tower, which works much like a car radiator, dissipating the heat and cooling the water before returning to the plant again,” says Bures.

This arrangement can lower maintenance work because it avoids scale build up on plant heat exchangers, which is typical with an open cooling-water system.

The cooling towerThe cooling tower at Keephills 3 has 18 cells and is one of the largest cooling towers in Canada. Its purpose is to allow for maximum cooling-water flow as it’s the cooling

system for the plant. The tower is designed to operate under all ambient conditions and is equipped with a chemical treatment system to maintain cooling system efficiency.

Auxiliary steam Keephills 3 requires auxiliary steam to start certain plant systems during startup operations. The turbine is one example. Steam is used for the turbine shaft sealing system when the turbine condenser vacuum is established prior to firing the steam generator. Other examples of auxiliary steam use are for deaerator heating, and boiler and turbine building heating and ventilating systems.

K3 construction site Aug. 2008

Coal handling plant site preparation Oct. 2008

K3 construction site Nov. 2008

Completed stack and laydown area Jan. 2009

“For removal of sulphur dioxide, mercury, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter no other coal plant in Canada has better environmental performance than Keephills 3.”

Keephills 3 is equipped with an advanced air quality control system (AQCS) for superior environmental performance and is made up of several components. These components work together to remove sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), mercury and particulates from the flue gas prior to leaving the stack.

Sulphur dioxide and particulate removalThe AQCS handles the exhaust from coal combustion after the flue gas exits the boiler. First, it passes through a flue gas desulphurization (FGD) unit. In the FGD the gas is mixed with a wet-lime slurry. As this mixture dries, SO2 is absorbed and entrained in the ash stream. “We’re really impressed with how well the flue gas desulphurization unit is performing, as we’re seeing more than 76 per cent of the SO2 removed.” says Brian Novak, TransAlta’s Environmental Services manager.

Next the flue gas containing the ash moves through the bag house. The bag house contains fabric filters to catch the ash and removes it from the gas stream. The bag house is like a giant vacuum cleaner. At the end of this process some of the lime can be recycled and used again in the process. An impressive 99.9 per cent of the particulates are captured before the flue gas leaves the stack.

Mercury controls In the AQCS the flue gas also passes through mercury abatement equipment. This equipment captures mercury by using an activated carbon sorbent to remove mercury and on average more than 75 per cent of the mercury is captured. The mercury binds with the ash and subsequently this ash is hauled to the mine to an approved disposal site where it is buried.

Nitrogen oxides (NOx)Low nitrogen oxide burners are installed in the boiler to reduce NOx levels during the coal-combustion process. At present about 68 per cent of the NOx is removed through this process.

MonitoringTo ensure all systems within the AQCS are working properly monitoring equipment is installed in the stack. The Continuous Emissions Monitoring System is similar to what is in place at our other Alberta coal-fired facilities and provides real time and historical data on all emissions.

“People will notice a visible difference when they drive by Keephills on a cool day as they will see a plume coming from the stack. This plume is mostly water vapour as the system is doing its job to capture the other elements before they leave the stack,” adds Novak. “On a warm day nothing is visible, although the plant is running at full load. For removal of sulphur dioxide, mercury, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter no other coal plant in Canada has better environmental performance than Keephills 3.”

K3 cooling towers - one of the largest cooling towers in Canada Water treatment plant

Air quality control system


Transmission upgrades and interconnection to the grid

Training the next generationK3’s new technology created the opportunity to bring forward a new approach to training. The multi-faceted training program involved a combination of hands on demonstration, classroom training and simulator training.

“Since K3 contains systems and equipment significantly different than our existing plants, it gave us the opportunity to build new operator training manuals,” says Lorne Shewfelt, training coordinator. “We introduced more graphics and clearer illustrations. This approach is more user-friendly and effective for learning.”

Also new were professionally edited training videos, created using footage from initial equipment vendor training, and a new simulator specific to K3. A unique arrangement was made possible by Capital Power to enable the K3 Commissioning Team to job shadow their counterparts at Genesee 3.

Developed with input from a TransAlta operator, the K3 simulator involves a more complex and sophisticated technology than previous simulators, and requires a longer training period of 200 hours. “Operations like the fact they are better prepared for the job and have learned on technology specific to the equipment at K3,” adds Shewfelt.

“Our goal is to ensure our current and future personnel have the tools they need to succeed,” notes Shewfelt.

Generator lift March 2009

K3 construction site May 2009

Air quality control system construction June 2009

Transformer assembly Sept. 2009

K3 produces enough electricity annually to power more than 505,000 homes

“To maximize efficiency and to accommodate long-term growth with generation sources such as K3, it’s important that Alberta’s transmission infrastructure is robust.”

For the Keephills 3 (K3) interconnection, AltaLink, a regulated transmission utility in Alberta completed several projects to ensure electricity from K3 would be transported to distribution centres in the province. A new high-tech substation was built north of K3 along with a 500 kV (500,000 volts) power line from the generator to the substation in order to transfer power to the provincial grid. The interconnection also included the installation of a 138 kV (138,000 volts) power line from the substation to supply station service power to K3’s generator.

“The transmission upgrades at Keephills 3 were a critical component for the entire power plant,” says Sharon Payne, commercial manager. “To maximize efficiency and to accommodate long-term growth with generation sources such as K3, it’s important that Alberta’s transmission infrastructure is robust,” adds Payne.

1202L transmission line upgradeThe Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) also requested AltaLink to increase the voltage of its existing 1202L transmission power line from 240 kV (240,000 volts) to 500 kV. The 1202L transmission line is located between Edmonton and the Wabamun area and

connects the Keephills and Ellerslie substations. The line was originally designed and built for a voltage of 500 kV, but had been operating at 240 kV.

Implo-connection processAltalink used the implo-connection process which is used in a variety of specialized joining requirements for conductors used in high voltage transmission lines and substations. An implo-connector is a small, engineered implosive charge, wrapped around a specially designed metallic sleeve, creating a controlled implosive compression. This joining method can be applied at much higher pressures and produces a noise free, stronger and longer lasting connection than traditional hydraulic compression.


One of the world’s largest draglines – Misikitew

Coal handling systems supply the fuel150-tonne coal haulers start the fuel process as they transport the coal for Keephills 3 to the Run of Mine (ROM) dump hopper. After the truck is safely in position, the belly of the hauler’s trailer is opened and within three seconds the coal is emptied into the ROM hopper.

The coal is fed into a primary sizer which crushes the coal to no larger than 100 milimetres. The coal then travels through conveyor belts and transfer houses to the stacker. The stacker moves along the coal yard to build the ‘live coal pile”. The live pile contains approximately 44,000 tonnes of coal and is equivalent to an eight-day supply for the plant.

Coal reclaim system The next step in the process is the coal-reclaim system

which consists of a moving ‘portal rack’ assembly that pulls coal from the live pile and places it onto another conveyor belt to move it to the K3 secondary crusher house. At this location, the coal falls through a transfer chute, into a secondary sizer and here the coal is crushed to a size no larger than 40 milimetres.

Now the coal is the correct size to enter the final transfer house where it’s placed onto the plant feed conveyor and enters K3’s coal conveying system. Inside the plant, the coal must travel on two more conveyor belts before it reaches its final place – inside one of six coal bunkers. Together, the bunkers have a storage capacity for eight hours of coal when K3 is operating at full load and each five-story bunker has the capacity for 490 tonnes of coal.

Each coal bunker is lined with stainless steel and is

equipped with thermocouples to detect metal surface temperatures and provide an early warning in case of a smoldering fire,” says Vipin Gupta, K3 plant engineer. “Technological advances are evident in the coal mills which allow for uniform application of grinding pressure to the three rollers and a spherical design of rollers and grinding segments which improves the grinding contact surface.”

“We’re seeing positive results with the coal sizers in the coal handling system,” says Mike Lydon, mining manager. “This sizing technology is something we are considering for our other coal-fired plants as the sizers can remove rocks and other unwanted debris and improve the efficiency of the boiler,” adds Lydon.

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Draglines are the largest single-bucket excavators built today and these machines operate 24-hours a day, seven days a week and have an expected life span of 50 years. The massive 28 story, 7,257 metric tonne (16 million pound) machine, built by Bucyrus and assembled south of Keephills 3, is uniquely designed to meet the needs of the Highvale Mine.

Constructing the dragline took a total of three years to complete and it began service in July 2010. It’s used in strip-mining operations to remove overburden which covers the coal seams,” says Jerome Campbell, senior project manager, Keephills 3. “Besides being one of the world’s largest draglines, this machine is unique because it uses new technology making it more productive and efficient compared to other draglines.”

The machine is equipped with an alternating current (AC) drive which greatly improves its efficiency when compared to conventional direct current (DC) power units. The AC drive allows the dragline to attain the lowest operating costs and lowest delivery costs per tonne of coal to the plants. The dragline also uses walking mechanism shoes to walk at 0.1 kilometre per hour.

The long boom (132.5 metres) allows for a longer swath of overburden to be taken with each pass making the dragline very efficient by design,” explains Campbell. “When in full operation, this dragline is able to scoop

enough overburden to fill 11 regular dump trucks, swing to the side to dump its load and return to centre, every 45 seconds,” adds Campbell.

To help complete the project, the nearby Paul First Nation school children named the dragline Misikitew (mi-SIK-i-too) meaning ‘the big one.’

Other mine equipmentAdditional equipment was acquired by the mining fleet for K3 including two 165-tonne haul trucks which deliver coal to the plant, a water truck used to control dust, a dozer and a 122-tonne ash hauler. The ash hauler transports fly ash and bottom ash to an approved ash disposal site located within the Highvale Mine.

Turbine/generator installation Sept. 2009

Inside the boiler house Sept. 2009

Station service power supply Dec. 2009

K3 construction site Jan. 2010

Coal pulverizers which pulverize the coal to a fine powder before it’s blown into the boilerCoal conveyor

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