Alstom Canada

Power play┬áAlstom Canada is taking on major projects in two essential global business sectors, maintaining AlstomÔÇÖs status as a worldwide specialist in energy and transport infrastructure. Jaclyn Beck reports. By 2015, the number of cities with over one million inhabitants will likely have climbed from 300 to 550. An estimated 350 million people will live in huge urban areas, each home to over ten million people. In a world where demand for electricity and mobility is constantly on the rise, Alstom GroupÔÇÖs expertise in designing and implementing innovative, environmentally friendly technologies vital to economic and social development make it a major player in its field. With a presence in more than 70 countries and offering an extremely wide range of power technology solutions, Alstom has defined itself as an international leader in innovative equipment and services for power generation and rail transport. The companyÔÇÖs operations in Canada are no exception. Alstom Canada employs over 1,800 people engaged in service and maintenance for power generation, and rolling stock remanufacturing and overhauling. Alstom is also strongly involved in the hydropower market, the design, supply, installation and service of equipment and systems for power plants and environmental control systems, related maintenance and after sales services. The company services a wide variety of energy sources, including hydro, gas, and coal. Over a quarter of the worldÔÇÖs energy production comes from power plants equipped with Alstom technology; and as the worldÔÇÖs leading provider of clean power solutions, the company has 15 percent of the market share in air quality control systems. Early in 2008, Alstom Canada combined forces with TransAlta, a power generation and wholesale marketing company, to research technology in the capture of coal-related greenhouse gas emissions. Coal-fired power accounts for almost half of the generating capacity in North America, making it essential for processes to be developed to improve existing infrastructure without compromising the plantÔÇÖs profitability. The companies will work together to create a large scale carbon dioxide capture and storage facility in Alberta,┬á and the project will take an estimated five years to complete. The first phase, which includes engineering, shareholder relations, and regulatory work, started a year ago and will cost an estimated $12 million. With testing beginning in 2012, the plan is to reduce current carbon dioxide emissions by one million tonnes per year. Both companies believe the study of carbon dioxide capture and storage is of utmost importance if emissions are to be effectively reduced. Phillipe Joubert, president of Alstom Power Systems in Canada, says the company is at the forefront of carbon capture technology development, and this collaboration proves it. ÔÇ£Our project with TransAlta is a key part of our objectives for the early deployment of the technology,ÔÇØ he said.As the worldÔÇÖs leading provider of rail transport solutions, Alstom develops and markets a range of systems, equipment, and services that meet the global need for sustainable mobility. One in every four metro systems has come from AlstomÔÇÖs production lines. Alstom Canada supplies rail transit vehicles and systems from two major facilities: one in Calgary that performs maintenance and overhaul, and one in Quebec that acts as a worldwide center for passenger information and security solutions for rolling stock, station or trackside applications. With the constant increase in social development, especially in urban areas, metro systems are one of AlstomÔÇÖs main concerns. Alstom Canada recently submitted a joint bid of $1.2 billion with Bombardier Inc., another Canadian rail transit vehicle supplier, to build 342 metro cars and upgrade the metro infrastructure for the Montreal Metro. The first test train with the new cars will be ready in November 2011, with delivery of the other cars starting in July 2012. While the company will be able to lend its expertise in retrofitting metro infrastructure, Alstom Canada currently does not build heavy rail equipment. In collaboration with Bombardier, this upcoming project could be the perfect opportunity for the company to set another benchmark in innovative design and technology.Alstom is currently in the process of developing a new generation of very high speed trains with distributed power called the Automatric├® ├í Grande Vitesse (AGV). The AGV is expected to enter service in 2010 and will run up to 360 kilometers per hour, carry between 300 and 600 passengers, and will also be lighter and more energy efficient than previous generations.┬á