TransAlta announced November 24 that it has commenced the development of a pumped hydro project at its existing Brazeau facility, TransAlta’s largest hydro plant. It is one of two TransAlta hydro plants, in Drayton Valley on the North Saskatchewan River System, with a capacity of 355 MW and generating an average of 397,000 megawatt hours a year. Its current power purchase agreement expires in 2020.
Stakeholder consultations were expected to begin shortly. The company is targeting 2021 for the commencement of construction of the project, subject to receiving a long-term contract.