Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)

Performance

Carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels at our power plants are the main source of TransAlta’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The metrics we use are gross emissions measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) equivalent and emission intensity (kilograms of CO₂ equivalent per megawatt hour). Gross emissions measure our total GHG emissions impact on the global atmosphere. Emission intensity measures TransAlta’s environmental efficiency in terms of the product we generate, and enables us to compare our performance with peer companies in Canada and internationally.

Our facilities released 42.6 million tonnes of gross GHG emissions, compared with 41.9 million tonnes. This slight increase shows the impact of additional generation from our gas plants in Sarnia, Ontario, and Campeche and Chihuahua, Mexico. During the year, we also maintained high production levels from our coal plants to meet consumer demand, contributing to a higher GHG emissions profile.

GHG emission intensity improves 3%

In 2004, our GHG emission intensity improved three per cent due to increased power generation from less carbon-intensive fuel sources such as wind and gas. Since 1990, we have cut the emission intensity of our worldwide operations by more than 10 per cent while raising generation capacity by more than 82 per cent.