Calgary and Edmonton: ENMAX Corporation and Capital Power Corporation announced March 11 that the Shepard Energy Centre located in east Calgary had become fully operational and capable of generating over 800 megawatts of electricity to the Alberta grid. The combined cycle natural gas facility is the largest of its kind in the province and an important step in Alberta’s transition away from aging coal-fired generation facilities. The facility’s cooling towers use 14 million litres of reclaimed water daily from The City of Calgary’s Bonnybrook Wastewater Treatment Plant. This is the first use of reclaimed water for power production in Alberta, replacing the need for using potable water, thereby aiding in long-term water conservation. Fourteen kilometres of underground pipelines were laid between the two sites.
“We delivered Shepard as planned without a lost-time injury in the more than 4.3 million hours of work required to complete the project,” said Gianna Manes, ENMAX President and CEO. “With this crucial infrastructure added to Alberta’s electricity system, we will bring reliable electricity to Albertans for decades to come.”
First announced by ENMAX in 2007, the project became a joint venture when Capital Power agreed to become a 50 per cent owner in late 2012.