Construction of ENMAX Energy Corporation’s Shepard Energy Centre is well underway. At a ground breaking ceremony held earlier today, Greg Melchin, ENMAX Corporation’s newly appointed board chair, commented on the significant progress made to date.

“Now that the preliminary site preparation is complete, construction of the major elements of this critical power facility are in full swing,” said Mr. Melchin. “Plans for Shepard began in 2007 and when operational in 2015, it will add a much needed 800 MW to the provincial grid, while producing about half of the carbon emissions of a conventional coal plant.”

The new power facility will be located in southeast Calgary in the community of Shepard. Because of its close proximity to a major urban area, the transmission infrastructure required to deliver the power will be minimal and reduces electricity losses that can occur when travelling over long distances.

The facility will be comprised of two 240 MW natural gas fired turbine generators and one 320 MW steam turbine generator. The sheer size of the turbines requires a Herculean effort to transport them from Japan.

“The natural gas fired turbines are massive and weigh in at about 400,000 pounds,” said Charles Ruigrok, interim President and CEO, ENMAX Corporation. The three-month journey from Japan includes transportation by ship across the Pacific, through the Panama Canal and up the east coast, then by special rail cars to Calgary and ultimately reinforced flatbed trailers to the site.”

Artist rendering of the Shepard Energy Centre: Download image or view video.

About ENMAX Energy Corporation
ENMAX Energy Corporation, a subsidiary of ENMAX Corporation, is one of Alberta’s leading competitive electricity retailers. ENMAX Energy also provides natural gas and value-added services to residential, commercial and industrial customers throughout Alberta. Through subsidiaries, ENMAX Energy is one of Alberta’s largest investors in renewable energy with partial ownership of the McBride Lake Wind Farm and complete ownership of the Taber and Kettles Hill Wind Farms. ENMAX Energy was the first Canadian electricity retailer to offer customers the option to support wind generated energy. Visit our website at www.enmaxenergy.com.