This natural gas-fired plant is ATCO Power’s seventh new power plant in Alberta since deregulation began in the province. It provides system stability benefits for the Valleyview area, 100-km east of Grande Prairie, and it provides an important addition of capacity to meet Alberta’s growing power requirements.

The power plant consists of two General Electric aero-derivative natural gas turbine generator, similar to those in place at ATCO Power’s plants in Poplar Hill and Rainbow Lake. The station is an environmentally progressive, low nitrous oxide plant.

Valleyview Unit I includes a clutch which allows it to operate as a synchronous condenser. This allows the unit’s generator to be disconnected from the turbine to provide voltage support when needed. When the grid needs additional generating capacity, the turbine can be instantaneously reconnected to the generator.

The choice of this technology and the Sturgeon site was made to bring electricity to Alberta as rapidly as possible. Electric energy is sold into the Power Pool of Alberta.

ATCO Power added a second LM6000 generating unit at the Valleyview facility in 2008, doubling the capacity to 90MW. This new unit provides additional quick starting capacity to support Alberta’s growing requirements.