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WaterCharger Battery Storage

The WaterCharger Battery Storage Project (“Project”) 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 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 with potential for two phases.

Project Update

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.

Reference documents

Contact

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

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