CALGARY – The province’s largest natural gas-fueled power plant is now fully operational.
Enmax and Capital Power announced on Wednesday that the Shepard Energy Centre, located in east Calgary, is up and running.
The plant adds over 800 megawatts of electricity to the Alberta grid, which is enough to power about half of Calgary. In addition, because it’s powered by natural gas, it’s about 30 per cent more efficient than a conventional coal plant with 50 per cent fewer CO2 emissions.
Officials are calling the Shepard Energy Centre an important step forward in Alberta’s transition away from coal-fired facilities.
“With this crucial infrastructure added to Alberta’s electricity system, we will bring reliable electricity to Albertans for decades to come,” said Enmax President and CEO Gianna Manes.
The facility is also the first in Alberta to use reclaimed water for power production. Its cooling towers use 14 million litres of reclaimed water from The City of Calgary’s Bonnybrook Wastewater Treatment Plant every day.
First announced by Enmax in 2007, the project became a joint venture with Capital Power when they agreed to become a 50 per cent owner in late 2012.
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