Independent Assurance Report
To the Board of Directors and Management of TransAlta Corporation (“TransAlta”)
We have reviewed selected quantitative performance indicators (the “Subject Matter”) presented in TransAlta’s Report on Sustainability (the “Report”) for the year ended December 31, 2009. We did not review all information included in the Report.
Subject Matter
We reviewed the following consolidated 2009 quantitative performance indicators set out in the corporate statistics section of this Report, under the heading “The Numbers“:
- Sulphur dioxide emissions and emission intensity
- Nitrogen oxides emissions and emission intensity
- Particulate matter emissions and emission intensity
- Mercury emissions and emission intensity
- Carbon dioxide emissions
- Methane emissions
- Nitrous oxide emissions
- Total transportation greenhouse gas emissions
- Gross greenhouse gas emissions and gross emission intensity
- Employee and contractor fatalities
- Injuries to employees and contractors
- Employee and contractor injury frequency rates
- Community investments
The selected quantitative performance indicators were chosen by TransAlta primarily on the basis of perceived external stakeholder interest. We did not review the narrative sections of the Report, except where they incorporated the Subject Matter within scope.
Responsibilities
TransAlta management is responsible for collection and presentation of the Subject Matter set out in the Report. Our responsibility is to express a conclusion, based on our assurance procedures, as to whether anything has come to our attention to suggest that the Subject Matter is not presented fairly in accordance with the relevant criteria.
Methodology & Assurance Procedures
We conducted our work in accordance with the International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3000, “Assurance Engagements other than Audits or Reviews of Historical Financial Information”, issued by the International Federation of Accountants. As such, we planned and performed our work in order to provide limited assurance with respect to the Subject Matter.
We obtained and evaluated evidence using procedures that included:
- Interviewing relevant TransAlta management and staff responsible for data collection and reporting
- Obtaining an understanding of the management systems, processes, and controls used to generate, aggregate and report the data
- Reviewing relevant documents and records on a sample basis
- Testing and re-calculating quantitative information related to the selected performance indictors on a sample basis
- Assessing the information collected for completeness, accuracy, adequacy and consistency
Our procedures were more limited than required for a reasonable assurance engagement and, consequently, we do not express an audit opinion on the Subject Matter.
We carried out our work on the Subject Matter at TransAlta’s head office in Calgary. We did not visit TransAlta’s regional locations. Information relating to these operations was collected and reviewed at the Calgary head office.
Our assurance criteria comprised the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Reporting Guidelines (2006), industry standards, and TransAlta’s internal management definitions as disclosed in the Report, informed by relevant regulations.
Our assurance team included individuals with backgrounds and experience in environment, health and safety, social, and economic assurance.
Conclusion
Based on our work as described in this report, nothing has come to our attention that causes us to believe that the Subject Matter is not, in all material respects, presented fairly in accordance with the relevant criteria.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Calgary, Canada
May 26, 2010