Poplar Hill Generating Plant

The 45-megawatt Poplar Hill Generating Plant near Grande Prairie provides northwest Alberta with necessary transmission system support and is an important source of additional electric energy for the Alberta grid.

The gas-fired facility, which began operating in late 1998, was developed in response to a competitive Request for Proposal. This resulted in Poplar Hill being selected as the lowest-cost alternative to supporting transmission facilities in a region of the province requiring system voltage support.

Poplar Hill meets northwest Alberta’s energy needs and provides additional capacity for the grid using an innovative design. This design resulted in the plant winning the McGraw Hill Power Plant of the Year Award for 2000.

The plant can operate as a synchronous condenser that allows the plant’s generator to be disconnected from the turbine to provide voltage support when needed. When the grid needs additional capacity, the turbine can be quickly reconnected to the generator without disconnecting the generator from the grid.

Capacity

• 45 megawatts

Equipment

• One GE LM6000 gas turbine and generator package
• Dry low-NOx combustion

Highlights

• Long-term contract with the Transmission Administrator to provide transmission system support services
• Electricity sold to the Power Pool of Alberta
• Synchronous condenser allows dispatch flexibility
• McGraw Hill Power Plant of the Year Award 2000 

Commissioned

• 1998

Ownership

• ATCO Power - 100%

Download tearsheet

North America :
Battle River | Brighton Beach | Cory | Joffre | McMahon | Muskeg River | Oldman River | Poplar Hill | Primrose | Rainbow Lake 1, 2, and 3 | Rainbow Lake 4 and 5 | Scotford | Sheerness | Sturgeon | Valleyview 1 and 2

Worldwide:
Barking | Bulwer Island | Karratha | Osborne