The Clean Energy Coalition has filed a motion with the Court of Queen's Bench to appeal the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board decision on TransAlta's application to construct a 900 MW coal-fired power plant at their Keephills site west of Edmonton.
"The Energy and Utilities Board failed to consider need in determining whether TransAlta's expansion is in the public interest," said CEC spokesperson Mary Griffiths. "Every increase in emissions from coal-fired power plants represents an increase in risk to human health and the environment. Therefore, the question of whether that increase in risk is justified by need must be answered."
Since deregulation, the EUB does not consider it necessary to examine the need for proposed power plants. However, the Board is required to consider the public interest and ensure environmental conservation.
"The Board's highest mandate is to determine the public interest," said the Coalition lawyer, Tim Howard, of the Sierra Legal Defence Fund. "This case tests if the Board has met that mandate."
The Clean Energy Coalition evidence at the public hearing last fall showed that there will be considerable excess generation capacity in Alberta for at least a decade, if all the current power projects proceed. Electricity from the TransAlta plant not only produces more emissions than power from natural gas or co-generation, it will require the construction of new transmission lines.
"The proposed TransAlta plant will not even be using the best technology available for coal-fired power plants, which means emissions will be far higher than from state-of-the-art facilities," said Griffiths. "Why should Albertans suffer higher levels of pollution from a plant that is not even needed?"
The Clean Energy Coalition consists of the Pembina Institute, Toxics Watch Society, the Environmental Resource Centre and the Western Canada Wilderness Committee.
For more information contact:
Tim Howard, Sierra Legal Defence Fund:
604-685-5618, ext. 225
Mary Griffiths, Clean Energy Coalition:
780-433-6675
maryg@pembina.org