ENMAX: Powering Alberta’s Lower Carbon Future

Electricity Canada: The Grid 2022

Chinta Puxley

Senior Advisor, External and Corporate Communications, ENMAX

ENMAX Corporation is accelerating into a low carbon future with a focus on solutions that will power a brighter tomorrow.

ENMAX Energy is the Alberta-based competitive generation and retail business of ENMAX Corporation and maintains a 1,512-megawatt generation portfolio made up of 86% natural gas and 14% wind. As part of its commitment to achieve Net Zero by 2050, ENMAX Energy is actively managing and reducing the carbon footprint of its natural gas-fueled generation fleet. This means making strategic investments to reduce the emissions intensity of ENMAX Energy’s fleet while ensuring reliable, efficient operations.

“As an essential electricity service provider, we recognize we are in a rapidly evolving energy landscape and that preparing for future customer and community needs involves enabling the electrification of our society and a lower carbon future,” said Greg Conlin, Vice-President of Operations at ENMAX Energy. “Today, we hold one of the most efficient generation portfolios in Alberta. Our natural gas-fueled power generation facilities have amongst the lowest emission intensity in Alberta. However, we recognize that while we have achieved much, there is more work ahead.”

ENMAX Energy’s generation fleet efficiency program is cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and bringing its operations closer to Net Zero. The company’s innovative approach toward its Net Zero goals include introducing Canada’s first hybrid electric gas turbine at the Crossfield Energy Centre, a project funded in part by Emissions Reduction Alberta. This unique technology combines a battery energy storage system with an existing natural gas-fueled turbine to provide standby electricity without burning additional fuel.

Commercial operation began in May 2021 and is anticipated to reduce the run time of the turbine by approximately 80% from its

Electricity Canada: The Grid 2022

original operations. This avoids an estimated 45,000 tonnes of GHG emissions annually—the equivalent of taking approximately 10,000 cars off the road.

“ENMAX Energy is taking a leadership role in building Alberta's lower carbon future since this hybrid technology can serve as a model for other natural gas facilities throughout Canada,” Conlin said.

ENMAX Energy also upgraded the turbines at its Shepard Energy Centre, adding leading-edge technology to increase output and improve efficiency. In addition, the team completed a 44-day planned outage at the facility—the largest and most complex in ENMAX history—safely and ahead of schedule. This year, ENMAX Energy is planning a turbine upgrade at the Calgary Energy Centre and expects similar facility efficiency improvements.

ENMAX Energy has always prioritized environmental stewardship, having reduced GHG emissions by 65% since 2015 (based on our 2020 GHG emissions inventory) and now progresses towards its goal of reducing or offsetting 70% of its 2015 emissions by 2030.

“ENMAX Energy continues to focus on developing new opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint as we work towards achieving Net Zero by 2050,” Conlin said. “We will continue innovating for a low carbon future across our generation assets.”