Alberta Utilities Commission Rejects Power Plant For Proposed Olds Data Centre
- ClearView Insider
- Mar 10
- 1 min read
A proposed hyperscale data centre complex in Olds, Alta., has encountered a regulatory setback after the Alberta Utilities Commission rejected an application to construct the dedicated power plant intended to supply the facility.
The proposed Synapse development is envisioned as a $10-billion, 1-gigawatt data centre campus, potentially the largest in Canada. The project would include approximately two million square feet of computing infrastructure, supporting artificial intelligence and cloud workloads, and could generate 2,000 construction jobs and more than 1,000 long-term technology positions if completed.
However, the commission determined the application for the accompanying 1.4-gigawatt natural-gas power plant contained significant deficiencies, including incomplete environmental analysis and insufficient consultation documentation. The developer can resubmit a revised application that addresses the regulator’s concerns.
These projects highlight how digital infrastructure is becoming a new driver of industrial land demand across Alberta. Large-scale data centres require substantial power generation, fibre connectivity and strategic land positioning near major urban markets. Communities such as Olds, located between Calgary and Edmonton, are increasingly being evaluated for this next generation of infrastructure investment.
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Source: Alberta Utilities Commission nixes power plant proposal for Canada’s largest AI data centre complex, CBC News