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WaterCharger Battery Storage

The WaterCharger Battery Storage Project (€œProject€) is located on approximately nine acres of TransAlta owned lands that are part of the Ghost Hydro-electric facility. The Project is located about 18 kilometers west of the Town of Cochrane in Rocky View County. TransAlta wishes to develop this Project to provide reliable, dispatchable electricity service to the Alberta electrical grid and support the development of additional renewable energy for Albertans.

The battery facility is designed to be charged by electricity produced by the existing Ghost Hydro-electric facility when demand is lower, for example at night, and discharged to support the stability of the electric grid during times of higher demand. It will generate up to a maximum of 180 MW.

Emergency Response Planning Open House

TransAlta invites you to join us at our WaterCharger Project open house to discuss Emergency Response Planning. We’ re currently engaging with local municipalities to discuss our plans, and are seeking public input into the Emergency Response Plan.

We will use the open house as an opportunity to share information with stakeholders and communities about the Project, to discuss fire safety and Emergency Response planning, and as an opportunity to answer your questions about the WaterCharger Project.

TransAlta will gather feedback from this event and other engagement activities to finalize the Emergency Response Plan for the WaterCharger Project.

Open House Information:
Date: March 13th, 2024
Time: 4-8 pm
Venue: Bearspaw Lions Club Hall, 25240 Nagway Rd, Calgary, AB, T3R 1A1

Project Update

TransAlta continues to advance the development and design of the Project. A vendor to provide the batteries for the Project has been selected, and we’ ve begun the development of the Project-specific Emergency Response Plan based on the selected battery.

In October 2023 a revised Air Quality Dispersion Modeling and Risk Assessment was conducted for the Project. The assessment evaluated the risks to human health that could result from a fire at the WaterCharger Battery Energy Storage Project using the selected battery and revised layout. The risk assessment concluded that the risk to the public and local residents from a fire associated with the type of battery cells proposed for the Project is low. An updated Air Dispersion Modelling and Risk Assessment based on slight changes to the Project layout is currently being conducted, and will be posted to the Project website when it’ s available.

Notification of Regulatory Application 

Early in 2024 TransAlta will submit to the Alberta Utilities Commission an application which will include a request to extend the Project’ s proposed Commercial Operation Date from June 30, 2024 to December 31, 2025. The extension is being requested to accommodate proposed operational changes to the Project and also reflects disruptions in the supply chain for vendors providing battery technologies.  

Your feedback on the proposed change to the Commercial Operation Date for the Project is important to TransAlta. We encourage all stakeholders to reach out to the Project team with any questions about the proposed change, or to express any concerns.  

The WaterCharger team remain available to you throughout the planning and design, construction and operation phases of the Project. If you have any questions about the Project, please reach out to the team by phone at +1 (403) 267-2005 or by email at: watercharger@transalta.com   

TransAlta gratefully acknowledges the support provided by Emissions Reduction Alberta (https://www.eralberta.ca/) towards the development of the WaterCharger Battery Storage Project. Emissions Reductions Alberta is funded by the Government of Alberta, and makes investments in Alberta opportunities that support the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and grows Alberta’s economy by accelerating the development and adoption of innovative technology solutions. 

On November 3, 2022, the Alberta Utilities Commission issued its decision regarding TransAlta Battery Storage Application and approved the application to construct and operate a power plant, designated as the WaterCharger Battery Storage Facility.

To review the decision and associated reports filed with the AUC, you can access them through the AUC website. To access the application, you must create an account and then search for the filing using the proceeding number 27109.

In December 2021, TransAlta published the following reports on the Project webpage and these remain for your review:

Some of these reports appear as drafts at this stage as they are considered living documents and will be updated as the project progresses. For example, the Environmental Protection Plan and Noise Impact Assessment will be revised once the battery vendor is selected. The documents will be finalized prior to the start of construction. The reports on this webpage will be updated as the project progresses.

As we have received recent questions related to the risk of battery fires, the risk of leaching or leaking from the batteries, noise concerns and the construction of power lines, please refer to the Stakeholder Update – December 2021 for answers to these questions.

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Phone: 1-403-267-2005
Email: watercharger@transalta.com

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