Presentation Discription
Facing into change is hard, everyday we see the world trying to come to grips with climate change and wrestling with the actions needed to mitigate its effects. TransAlta has been leading the way in North America, contributing 8% towards Canada's reduction in greenhouse emissions through its clean energy transition having reduced 25 million tonnes in annual emissions reductions since 2005. For our organization it's meant closing coal assets, converting coal asset to gas and extensive growth in renewables. However, this kind of change however does not come without its challenges. TransAlta’s asset base has undergone tremendous change and is continuing to do so. Today, 35% of TransAlta’s company EBITDA comes from our renewable’s energy business, yet in 2025 we are projecting that our renewable business EBITDA contribution will grow to 70%! In this talk we will explore how this has changed the face of our business, the types of challenges we are encountering and how our maintenance programs and processes have evolved and continue to evolve. This story will help you and your organization think about managing large scale change and its impact on your asset management practices.
Speaker Bio
Richard Mercredi, Process Specialist, TransAlta
I’ve been a Red Seal Journeyman Electrician since 1996. I worked as an Electrician at the Ekati Diamond Mine in the NWT from 1997 to 2004 before transitioning into a Planner position. At the mine I worked on Process Plant Controls, Conveyor and Crusher Systems. I have been employed with TransAlta for 14 years and have held positions of Work Management Process Specialist, Electrical Instrumentation and Controls Outage Coordinator and Plant Supervisor as well as a Planner/Scheduler. I have spent the majority of my time at TransAlta on the Outage Team as the Electrical, Instrumentation and Controls Coordinator and in the last few years I have been the Maintenance Process Specialist dealing with Processes, Projects and enhancements to our SAP tools.
Co-Presenters:
Prabhdeep Singh Sodhi, Maintenance Process Specialist, TransAlta
Prabhdeep Singh Sodhi Bio: I hold a First-Class Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, and am currently working at TransAlta as a Maintenance Process Specialist. Previously I have worked with Accenture Inc. and was working with the Asset Performance Management center of excellence (CoE) and was involved in various asset management and reliability projects across the globe. I am a seasoned professional with 14+ years of experience in the areas of Asset Performance Management, Work Management Process, Operation & Maintenance of Rotary and Static equipment.
Marina Van Koughnett, Process Specialist, TransAlta
Marina Van Koughnett is responsible for TransAlta’s Process Safety Management Program and is one of the founding members of TransAlta’s Operational Integrity Program which combines practices from Asset Management, Process Safety, Environmental Health and Safety and Risk Management to create an integrated operational Management System. As one of the programs leads and a current member of the governing organization, Marina’s focus is on the continuous improvement of the business via Operations Risk Management, Operations & Maintenance Practices, Competency Management, Business Planning & Target Setting and Process Safety.
Graduating from Queens University in Engineering in 2004, Marina started her career in TransAlta’s new graduate program. After completing the program Marina found a home in Major Maintenance for Gas and Hydro generation, ultimately progressing to the role of Manager Major Maintenance for Gas & Renewables before transitioning to the development of TransAlta’s Operational Management System.