TransAlta named for the second consecutive year to 2010 Jantzi list of
Canada's 50 most responsible corporations
*CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwire - June 14, 2010) -* TransAlta Corporation
(TransAlta) (TSX:TA) (NYSE:TAC) today announced it has been named for
the second consecutive year to the Jantzi list of the 50 most
responsible corporations in Canada for 2010. The list is compiled by
Jantzi Research Inc., an independent investment research firm that
evaluates and monitors the social and environmental performance of
companies. Inclusion in the Jantzi list is granted to companies that
lead their industries toward sustainability by setting standards for
best practice, and demonstrating superior environmental, social and
economic performance.
"We're honoured to be included on the Jantzi list," said TransAlta
President and CEO Steve Snyder. "Economic growth has historically driven
both energy consumption and environmental impact. Our goal is to help
break this equation through technology and efficiency so that we can
have growth without increasing our environmental footprint. This drives
our approach to sustainability and the future growth of our business."
TransAlta recently released its 13^th Annual Report on Sustainability,
providing an overview of its social and environmental performance.
Highlights in the report include:
* Advancing Project Pioneer - the carbon capture and storage (CCS)
demonstration project received funding from Canadian federal and
provincial governments and is moving forward.
* Growing the company - generation capacity grew in 2009 by 6.5 per
cent to 8,775 megawatts through construction and acquisition.
* Greening our fleet - the acquisition of Canadian Hydro Developers
in November 2009 and expansion of existing wind assets accelerated
TransAlta's renewables growth strategy by two years, now almost 25
per cent of the fleet portfolio is comprised of renewable energy
sources.
* Implementing mercury capture technology, ahead of schedule and on
budget - TransAlta is installing mercury capture at all its
coal-fired facilities. Alberta operations will complete
construction and commissioning in 2010; operations in
Washington state will complete work in 2011.
* Maintaining financial strength - maintained a strong balance sheet
while spending almost $2 billion on growth and increasing our
dividend.
* Reducing atmospheric emissions - absolute emissions for most major
substances were lower in 2009.
Jantzi Research's Canadian Social Investment Database? provides
comprehensive analysis of approximately 300 companies and income trusts,
including all constituents of the S&P/TSX Composite Index. In addition,
through its partnerships, Jantzi Research provides coverage of the
Russell 3000 Index and the MSCI World Index. For more information, visit
www.jantziresearch.com.
TransAlta is a power generation and wholesale marketing company focused
on creating long-term shareholder value. TransAlta maintains a
low-to-moderate risk profile by operating a highly contracted portfolio
of assets in Canada, the United States and Australia. TransAlta's focus
is to efficiently operate our biomass, geothermal, wind, hydro, natural
gas and coal facilities in order to provide our customers with a
reliable, low-cost source of power. For 100 years, TransAlta has been a
responsible operator and a proud contributor to the communities where we
work and live. TransAlta is recognized for its leadership on
sustainability by the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index, the
FTSE4Good Index and the Jantzi Social Index.