TransAlta has announced the decommissioning of the Wabamun Plant. The decommissioning will be a staged process, where the four operating units will be decommissioned as three separate events. The first unit was decommissioned in November of 2003. Two more units will come off line on or before December 31, 2004, while the final unit will come off line on or before December 31, 2010. Mining of the Whitewood Mine will cease prior to December 31, 2010, with TransAlta indicating that as of June 2004 they have no intentions of continuing the mining of the Whitewood pits for use at the Keephills or Sundance Plants.

The decommissioning of the Wabamun Plant itself is expected to take three years. TransAlta has already initiated environmental assessments of the plant site area to determine the work that must be undertaken as part of the decommissioning. As well, TransAlta is also assessing what the impacts will be on the ecosystem as it relates to a reduction in the open water area during the winter period.