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TransAlta Purchases Modular’s MasterLink™ System for Centralia Mine Tucson, Arizona - February 20, 2002 Modular Mining Systems, Inc., the world leader in computer-based solutions for maximizing mine productivity, has received an order to install its new MasterLink™ System at TransAlta Corporation’s Centralia Mine. Centralia is a large open pit coal mine located approximately 80 miles south of Seattle, Washington, and is one of the early release sites for Modular’s new wireless data communication system, MasterLink™. MasterLink™, a part of Modular’s world-class IntelliMine® mine management system, is a 2.4-GHz spread spectrum wireless communications network designed to significantly increase the amount of information that can be sent over the radio channel. Based on Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) technology, MasterLink™ dramatically speeds transmission rates to at least 50 times faster than conventional 9600-b/s narrow-band systems and 10 times faster than 900-MHz systems. Gains are even realized over conventional 2.4-GHz wireless-routing schemes due to Modular’s embedded routing algorithms, which integrate the entire network and provide self-configuration and healing characteristics. Centralia will employ the MasterLink™ wireless system throughout its operation on a variety of equipment including: 33 trucks, 11 dozers, 5 shovels and 8 pieces of auxiliary equipment. Installation is currently underway and start-up is scheduled for March 2002. With increased bandwidth and less telemetry congestion, MasterLink™ creates more data capacity, reduces interference and promotes faster synchronization. This makes it easy for mines to transfer information quickly and accurately between operations offices, field equipment, and personnel. “Increased bandwidth is important to Centralia,” said Howard Grant, Director of North American Sales. “They are very keen on interfacing to a variety of onboard vital signs monitoring systems and want the real time maintenance monitoring and equipment monitoring functionality which the system will provide.” MasterLink™ was created to function in the harshest industrial environments and is based on the IEEE 802.3 (wired) and 802.11 (wireless) communications standards. The system can operate either standalone or as part of an existing Local Area Network (LAN) to connect field stations to a central computer or backbone. ABOUT TransAlta Corporation (NYSE:TAC - TSE:TA), headquartered in Calgary, is Canada's largest non-regulated electric generation and marketing company, with more than $7 billion in assets and 8,000 megawatts of capacity. As one of North America's lowest cost operators, its growth is focused on developing coal and gas-fired generation in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. Modular, headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, is the market share leader in providing powerful information management solutions to meet the needs of both open pit and underground mining operations worldwide. The company's products range from fully automated, total mine management and control systems using the latest high precision global positioning systems for surface applications, to proven mining cycle control, monitoring, and identification systems for underground mines. Modular has sales and support offices located in all key world-mining markets. For more information on Modular, MasterLink™, and its new, revolutionary systems for rail management and equipment automation, visit Modular's website at www.modularmining.com.
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