ATCO Cuts Emissions Intensity by 40% since 1990

ATCO Group’s emissions intensity has decreased by more than 40 percent since 1990, although ATCO Power’s generating capacity has doubled since that time period, according to the company’s first corporate sustainability report (PDF).

Here  are a few environmental highlights in the report.

ATCO Group says a significant portion of its emissions are a result of burning fossil fuels at its ATCO Power generation facilities. ATCO Power has voluntarily reduced its emissions intensity by installing 15 environmentally progressive natural gas-fired generation facilities.

In 2007, ATCO Power upgraded its Osborne cogeneration station with a $1 million retrofit that increased electricity output by 4.8 percent and improved the heat rate, which means the plant produced the same amount of electricity, but reduced its natural gas consumption by about one percent and CO2 emissions by 6,000 tons.

Over the past 15 years, ATCO Power has invested in alternative energy solutions and is now Alberta’s largest operator of environmentally responsible cogeneration plants, according to the report.

ATCO Gas also has participated in geothermal/solar projects in communities in southeast Calgary and Okotoks. In 2008, ATCO Gas constructed the first ATCO owned facility to have a geothermal heating and cooling system at its new operational center in Viking, Alberta. Almost one third of the ATCO Gas fleet operates with natural gas, which is estimated to reduce GHG emissions by about 20 percent per natural gas vehicle compared to a standard gas-powered vehicle.

ATCO EnergySense unit provides consumers and businesses with energy efficiency advice and improvement services, which the company says has contributed to a reduction of over 41,000 tons of CO2e annually since 2001.