Wabamun power station — Canada
Coal power plant in Alberta, Canada. Approximate location 53.558229, -114.488279.
CoalAlbertaCanadasubcritical
Wabamun power station is a 537 MW coal power station in Alberta, Canada. It is operated by TransAlta Generation Partnership [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 672k homes (estimated). It ranks #76 of 1,210 Canada power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1956, it is around 70 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, coal supplies about 4.1% of Canada's electricity; the national grid averages 191 gCO₂/kWh (77.0% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GEM_coa_wabamun_canad.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT
In context: how this plant compares
At 537 MW, Wabamun power station is around the median coal plant in Canada (540 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of Canada coal capacity
- 3.7% of 14,386 MW across 20 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 0 of 17 dated coal plants in Canada are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest coal plants in Canada
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by TransAlta Generation Partnership [100%].
Climate zone & how it works
This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 53.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.
Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.
How it compares & nearby plants
The #11 largest coal power plant of 20 in Canada by capacity.
Canada has 20 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 14,386 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Sundance · Coal · 2,141 MW · Alberta
- Alberta Sundance power station · Gas · 2,121 MW · Alberta
- Keephills · Coal · 1,253 MW · Alberta
- Genesee · Coal · 1,857 MW · Alberta
- Genesee Data Centre Project power station · Gas · 1,500 MW · Alberta
- Alsike power plant · Gas · 340 MW · Alberta
Location
Coordinates 53.558229, -114.488279 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Wabamun power station?
Wabamun power station is a 537 MW coal power plant in Alberta, Canada, commissioned in 1956.
Who operates Wabamun power station?
Wabamun power station is operated by TransAlta Generation Partnership [100%].