⚠ Impact Projection Disclaimer & Sources

Alberta AI Data Centres — Interactive Size & Impact Map

Alberta's grid operator (AESO) had 42 large-load connection applications on file as of Feb. 2026, requesting 21.1 GW combined — most of them AI data centres. This map names and locates 20 of them, including Meta's $13B first-in-Canada campus in Sturgeon County, Tourmaline's $15–20B Malachite One near Edson, and a new Indigenous-majority-owned proposal in Northern Sunrise County, collectively requesting thousands of megawatts of power and billions of litres of water annually. The rest are listed in AESO's queue only by project code and megawatt figure, with no developer, site, or footprint public yet — see the FAQ for why they aren't drawn here. This map lets you explore each of the 20 at real scale — overlaid on Alberta cities and towns — and compare land footprint, electricity demand, water draw, noise, and air-quality impact side by side. All figures are drawn from company disclosures, AUC filings, Alberta Major Projects, and municipal planning documents.

The Noise, Water, and Electricity layers are estimated projections based on publicly available research and industry benchmarks. They are for informational and educational purposes only and do not constitute professional engineering, environmental, or regulatory assessments.

These projections must not be used for:

Methodology

Sources

This is an independent, non-commercial project created for public information and educational purposes, last updated August 29, 2026. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any company, developer, municipality, or regulator named or shown here. Every company and project name is used solely to identify and describe a publicly proposed project, and every substantive claim is attributed to the specific public source cited alongside it — use of a name here does not imply wrongdoing, illegality, or any conclusion not stated by that cited source. Where this page describes a regulatory or legal proceeding (an AUC decision, a court filing, a rejected application, and the like), that description is limited to what the cited public record reports; it is not legal advice or a legal conclusion, and anyone relying on it should consult the primary source and, where relevant, their own counsel. This site and the estimates, projections, and comparisons it presents are provided "as is," without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including as to accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose, and the creator accepts no liability for decisions made based on information presented herein. All figures are estimates that may become outdated as projects evolve — always verify against the primary sources linked above. If you believe anything here is inaccurate or out of date, please use the Contact feature to request a correction; corrections are reviewed and applied promptly where warranted. By proceeding you acknowledge these limitations.

Make your voice heard — contact officials

These proposals go through provincial regulators, cabinet ministries, and local councils — all of whom take public input seriously. Below are the offices most relevant to the projects shown on this map, grouped by who they are and which proposals they cover. We don't guess at personal email addresses. Where an office publishes a general email, it's included; otherwise click "Contact page" to find the current, correct address or web form. "Draft email" opens a ready-to-edit message in your own email app — you review, personalize, and send it yourself. Nothing is ever sent on your behalf.

⚖️ Formally registering a concern with the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC)

For projects that involve AUC review (e.g., proposed power-generation facilities tied to a data-centre project), the AUC accepts a Statement of Intent to Participate (SIP) from members of the public who want their concerns formally on the record for a specific proceeding. In general, the process works like this:

  1. Go to auc.ab.ca (a desktop/laptop browser is easier to use than a phone for this).
  2. Find "Access to the eFiling System" and create a new personal account, then confirm it via the email link the AUC sends you.
  3. Log in and continue to eFiling.
  4. Use the "Go To" search to find the proceeding number for the specific project you want to comment on (proceeding numbers are unique to each application — there is no single number that covers every project on this map; search the AUC's proceeding list or e‑Filing system for the project nearest you, or ask the AUC directly which proceeding applies).
  5. Click "Register" to participate, acknowledge the AUC's privacy policy, and select "Intervener" as your registration type.
  6. Fill in the Statement of Intent to Participate explaining your interest/concerns, and save to submit.

A Statement of Intent to Participate is generally used to explain why a proposed facility (e.g., a data centre and/or an associated power plant) raises concerns for you — for example, proximity to a community, agricultural land, water sources, or local infrastructure. Per the AUC's own guidance, you typically do not need to live within any specific buffer distance of a project to file a SIP.

This is a general summary of a public regulatory process — it is not legal advice, and the steps, screens, and proceeding numbers can change. Always confirm the current process and the correct proceeding number for your project of interest directly on auc.ab.ca before relying on it.

Names and contact details verified June 2026 from each organization's official website. Offices, staff, and emails change over time — always confirm via the linked contact page before relying on an address shown here.

How this map works — 3 steps

1. Pick your town or cityThe "Centre on" dropdown moves the map to your community (or to a data‑centre proposal's own real site) and shows local stats — population, area, current water & electricity use.
2. Pick a proposal to compareThe "Compare against" dropdown overlays one project's footprint and key figures on top of your community, so you can see the size and scale side by side. Each proposal is shown on its own — figures from different proposals are never combined or summed.
3. Toggle the layersUse the buttons (Footprint, Jobs, Water, Electricity, Air quality, Sound) to explore different angles. Every figure is sourced from public company/government announcements or, where nothing has been disclosed, marked "not publicly disclosed."
Tip: use View as table to see all 20 proposals at a glance.

Glossary

MW (Megawatt)
A unit of power. 1 MW ≈ enough electricity to power roughly 750–1,000 average Alberta homes at once. Data centres are often described by their planned power draw in MW.
GWh (Gigawatt‑hour)
A unit of energy used over time (1 GWh = 1,000 MWh). Used here to compare a proposal's estimated annual electricity use to a community's.
dB (Decibel)
A measure of sound level. Roughly: 40 dB ≈ a quiet library, 55–65 dB ≈ a normal conversation/busy office, 65+ dB ≈ a vacuum cleaner up close. The sound demo on this map is a synthesized illustration, not a real recording.
m³/yr (Cubic metres per year)
A measure of water volume used over a year — used to compare a proposal's estimated water use to a community's residential use.
AUC (Alberta Utilities Commission)
The provincial regulator that reviews and approves major power-generation and transmission projects in Alberta, including on‑site generation proposed by some data centres.
EPEA
The Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act — Alberta's main environmental-approvals law; projects with significant emissions or water use may require an EPEA approval.
ASP (Area Structure Plan)
A municipal land-use planning document that guides how a parcel of land may be developed — often the stage where local councils and residents weigh in on a proposal.
Footprint
The physical land area (in km²) a proposal expects to occupy — shown on the map as a shaded shape so you can compare its size to your community.
"Not publicly disclosed"
Used throughout this map when a company or government body has not released a figure (e.g., investment amount, air-quality plan) as of the date shown — it does not imply one doesn't exist, only that it hasn't been published.

❔ Frequently asked questions

How big is Alberta's data centre boom overall?The often-cited "1.6 GW → 13.2 GW, a more than 8× increase" figure is Canada-wide data centre capacity (York University / BCG research, 2026) — not an Alberta-specific number, and it's easy to find it misattributed to this province alone (an earlier version of this page did exactly that). Alberta is genuinely the epicentre of that national pipeline, but 1.6 GW is not "Alberta's operating capacity today." For a live, Alberta-specific figure: AESO's own connection queue held ~19,565 MW of requested data-centre load across 41 applications, as of its July 30, 2026 connection list — of which only 1,200 MW (two Phase 1 projects: Meta/GLDC's 970 MW and TransAlta's Keephills at 230 MW) has actually been allocated firm grid connection so far; the rest is requested, not connected. That queue is also larger and more current than the "42 applications / 21.1 GW" figure (CBC News, Feb. 2026) still cited elsewhere on this page — queues move fast, and that number is now roughly six months stale. For grid-scale context: Alberta's Internal Load averaged 10,316 MW in 2025 (≈90.4 TWh/yr) with a record peak of 12,785 MW (Dec 11, 2025) — that's actual demand, not the province's total installed generating capacity, which is meaningfully higher. The 20 proposals tracked on this map are the subset of AESO's queue with a named developer, a real site, and enough public reporting to compare responsibly.
Is this an official government or company map?No. This is an independent, informational comparison built from public announcements, news coverage, and government/regulatory filings. It is not affiliated with any of the companies, municipalities, or regulators shown.
Where do the numbers come from?Each figure is attributed to its source where possible (company announcements, municipal planning documents, regulatory filings, news reporting). Where no figure has been publicly released, it's marked "not publicly disclosed" rather than estimated or guessed.
Why do some proposals show "not publicly disclosed" for investment or air quality?Because, as of the date shown, no figure or plan for that item had been made public for that specific proposal. This map does not fill gaps with assumptions.
Is the "what it might sound like" demo a real recording?No — it's a synthesized illustration built to approximate the kind of low-frequency hum and broadband noise that large mechanical/cooling equipment can produce at different distances. It's offered as a rough sense of scale, not a measurement or prediction for any specific site.
Can I compare more than one proposal at a time?By design, no — figures from different proposals are shown one at a time and never combined or summed, since stacking unrelated projects' numbers together would be misleading. You can switch between proposals using the "Compare against" dropdown to see each on its own.
I think something here is inaccurate or out of date — how do I flag it?Use the "Contact" feature in the toolbar, or reach out via the contact details for the relevant regulator/municipality shown there. This map will be updated as new public information becomes available.
Is anyone tracking data centres outside Alberta too?Yes — in the U.S., reporter/activist Erin Brockovich launched a public "AI Data Center Reporting Map" (brockovichdatacenter.com, April 2026) where communities can report concerns; reporting on it has highlighted that many U.S. projects cluster in already drought-prone regions. The 💧 Water layer on this map now includes a note on which Alberta river basin each proposal sits in, including whether it's in the part of southern Alberta that's been closed to new water licences since 2006.
Why is Alberta specifically attracting so many data centres?Several factors combine to make Alberta unusually attractive: abundant and relatively affordable power (natural gas and renewables), a cold climate that reduces cooling costs year-round, the lowest corporate tax rate in Canada, and a dedicated AI Data Centre Concierge Program run by the provincial government that connects developers with land, power, and permitting resources and helps them navigate the approval process. Worth being precise about what that program can and can't do: it's a coordination/facilitation service, not an approval itself — AESO still controls grid connection and AUC still controls power-plant approval, and no minister can order either one to happen. The flip side of that streamlining is that some projects have moved through with limited environmental review — which is exactly what this map is designed to help residents understand. Source: Government of Alberta; BUILDEX Alberta, June 2026.
Why isn't every Alberta AI data-centre proposal shown here?Because AESO's connection queue is much bigger than the 20 mapped here — ~19,565 MW of requested data-centre load across 41 applications, per AESO's July 30, 2026 connection list — but most of the other applications are listed only by project code and megawatt figure, with no developer name, site, or footprint attached. Putting a project on this map means drawing it at a real location and a real size, so the bar for inclusion is: a named developer, a locatable site, and enough public reporting to compare it responsibly — the same "don't fill gaps with assumptions" rule the figures follow. Five projects cleared that bar since the last count: three near-identical Crusoe Energy / Kalina Distributed Power sites (Myers Energy Park in Red Deer County, Alsike Energy Park in Brazeau County, and Crossfield Energy Park in Rocky View County), Beacon Data Centers' sixth Alberta site in Chestermere, and the Indigenous-majority-owned Mihta Askiy Data Centre in Northern Sunrise County. TransAlta's Keephills Data Centre (Parkland County, west of Edmonton) is arguably more "real" than several proposals already on this map — it's one of only two projects that actually won firm grid connection in AESO's Phase 1 large-load allocation (230 MW, alongside Meta/GLDC's 970 MW, filling the entire 1,200 MW Phase 1 envelope) — but it still hasn't published a site plan or footprint to draw at real scale, so it stays off the map itself pending that. It's tracked here as a "known, not drawn" entry for exactly that reason. The project formerly tracked here as "GLDC Load / Greenlight" has since been resolved: it's the Pembina–Kineticor–Morgan Stanley Greenlight Electricity Centre gas plant near Gibbons, which reached a final investment decision in 2026 specifically to power Meta's new Sturgeon Data Centre — now shown on this map in its own right. (Also worth noting: a roughly 1,100-acre Kineticor/eStruxture data-centre campus proposed for northeast Rocky View County was rejected 6–1 by county council in early 2026 after a lengthy public hearing, and Synapse's Olds data centre had its associated power plant rejected twice by the AUC — most recently Aug. 17, 2026 — with the company confirming the project "will not proceed as proposed." Both are different from, or discontinued versions of, the proposals tracked here.)
Rocky View County paused new data-centre applications — does that affect projects already on this map?No, not directly. On July 21, 2026, Rocky View County council voted 5–2 to stop accepting new applications to redesignate land for data-centre use (Bylaw C-8766-2026), and to reclassify data centres from a "permitted" to a "discretionary" use — giving the county more latitude to refuse permits — while it finishes a broader Emerging Sector Strategy expected this fall. Council was explicit that the moratorium does not cancel projects already moving through the pipeline, so Wild Rose Power Hub, Beacon AI Hub (Indus), and eStruxture CAL-3 — all in Rocky View County — continue through their existing approval processes. Source: CBC News, July–August 2026.
What is "BYOG" and why does it show up so often on this map?BYOG ("bring your own generation") is the province's core policy for connecting big new electricity users, but it's not an absolute ban on the shared grid — it's more accurate to say the Data Centre Regulation (AR 117/2026, in force since June 9, 2026) prioritizes loads over 75 MW that are tethered to their own generation or storage. Some grid access still exists: AESO's Phase 1 large-load allocation already awarded 1,200 MW of firm grid connection outright (Meta/GLDC's 970 MW and TransAlta's Keephills 230 MW), and a separate "bridging" provision lets a BYOG-committed project draw limited, interruptible grid power for up to three years while its own generation comes online (AESO has discussed a 1,600 MW system-wide cap on this). Where the regulation IS closer to a hard requirement — and where the genuine controversy sits — is AESO's draft Phase 2A pathway rules, still under review as of late August 2026, which propose that only gas-fired generation would qualify as "matching generation" for tethering; critics (including Environmental Defence and the Pembina Institute) say that would lock out wind and solar for this sector even where developers would prefer it. This is why so many entries on this map are a data centre paired with its own dedicated gas power plant — it's the path most proposals here are actually taking, not because the shared grid is entirely off-limits.
Does Alberta's foreign land-ownership law affect these projects?It can. Much of this land is "controlled land" under Alberta's Foreign Ownership of Land Regulations (FOLR), which generally caps a foreign citizen or foreign-controlled corporation at two parcels totalling under 20 acres; a narrower industrial-facility exemption allows up to 80 acres for a single facility. A data-centre campus is typically far larger than either limit, so a foreign-controlled developer needs a specific provincial order-in-council to acquire the land at all. In 2025, Alberta's Minister of Service Alberta put forward 13 such orders-in-council covering more than 10,600 acres province-wide; one approved October 29, 2025 let Beacon Data Centers acquire roughly 8.8 km² (~2,175 acres) for five data centres and associated electrical infrastructure, and a separate exemption the same day covered Vibro Information Services. This map doesn't audit the ownership structure or nationality of every proposal's investors — that would require a level of corporate-registry verification this project doesn't do. Where a parent company, joint-venture partner, or major backer is named on this map, it's because that fact was directly reported by the source cited alongside it and is material to understanding the deal (e.g., Meta's Greenlight power partner Pembina Pipeline, or Mihta Askiy's 51% Woodland Cree First Nation ownership) — not a general claim about who controls each company. Sources: MLT Aikins; Lawson Lundell; The Canadian Press (via Penticton Herald / Prince Albert Daily Herald), 2025–2026.
Is the public pushing back on any of this?Yes, significantly, especially through summer 2026. Hundreds protested Meta's Sturgeon County project at a Morinville, AB rally in early August; a man organized standalone protests to coincide with the province's own town halls; and the Alberta government's first two AI data-centre town halls (Lacombe and Redwater/Sturgeon County) drew loud, sometimes profane opposition from attendees over water, noise, electricity costs, and a lack of consultation. Alberta's NDP opposition launched its own province-wide "AI consultation tour," citing polling that found roughly 70% of Albertans oppose data-centre development in their own community (higher still in rural areas). Separately, Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation is in court arguing the province failed its duty to consult before granting Wonder Valley's water licence — a Court of King's Bench judge ruled in the Nation's favour on an early procedural question in August 2026, allowing that underlying legal challenge to proceed (it has not cancelled the licence or halted the project). Sources: CBC News, Canada's National Observer, The Globe and Mail, August 2026.
🎈 Fun fact — why does this map even exist?It started as a one-person curiosity project: someone wanted to see how the proposed Wonder Valley data centre would actually compare to the size of their own town — and was genuinely taken aback by how much bigger it looked once it was drawn to scale on a real map, rather than just read as a number on a page. That "wait, it's THAT big?" moment is the whole reason this tool exists — so anyone else can drop their own community onto the map and see the comparison for themselves, instead of just taking someone's word for it.

What's changed

August 29, 2026
Full accuracy review and update. Added two major new proposals: Meta's Sturgeon Data Centre (Meta's first Canadian data centre, $13B, 1 GW, 1,750 acres, groundbreaking July 2026, closed-loop/no-cooling-water design, powered by the co-located $4.6B "Greenlight Electricity Centre" gas plant) and Malachite One (Tourmaline/Emerald Energy Technologies, up to $20B combined, ~1 GW, Crown land near Edson in Yellowhead County). Corrected Beacon AI Hub (Indus) to its actual disclosed scale — a 1,494 MWe power plant supplying ~1,200 MWe to four data halls, not the earlier 400 MW placeholder — and Beacon Heartland AI Hub to its confirmed 920 MW plant / ~800 MW to data halls. Updated Synapse Olds DC to reflect the AUC's second rejection of its power-plant application (Aug 17, 2026) and the company's confirmation the project "will not proceed as proposed." Updated statuses for AHI Hub of Innovation (construction underway, hydrogen-ready engines arrived), eStruxture CAL-3 (on track for fall 2026), Beacon Foothills AI Hub (further county approvals granted), and Clive Power & Data Centre (still no approvals; timeline has slipped, new Sept. 30, 2026 open house). Added context on Rocky View County's July 2026 pause on new data-centre applications, the province's June 2026 "bring your own generation" (BYOG) Data Centre Regulation and its proposed gas-only generation rule, Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation's court challenge over Wonder Valley's water licence, and the summer 2026 wave of public protests and government town halls. Resolved the former "GLDC Load / Greenlight" watch-list entry — it's now shown as Meta's power plant. Added the wider picture up front (hero, disclaimer, FAQ): AESO's own connection queue held 42 large-load applications requesting 21.1 GW combined as of February 2026 (CBC News). Then added five more confirmed proposals that clear this map's inclusion bar: Crusoe Myers Energy Park (Red Deer County), Crusoe Alsike Energy Park (Brazeau County), and Crusoe Crossfield Energy Park (Rocky View County) — three near-identical 170 MW sites Crusoe Energy is co-developing with Kalina Distributed Power under a Feb. 2025 framework agreement; Beacon Chestermere AI Hub, the sixth site in Beacon Data Centers' Alberta portfolio ($4B, 400 MW, 310 acres); and the Mihta Askiy Data Centre in Northern Sunrise County — a 650 MW proposal 51%-owned by Woodland Cree First Nation that would repurpose the partially built power plant from Shell's cancelled Carmon Creek oil sands project. Now tracking 20 of the 42 proposals in AESO's queue. Tightened the legal/liability language in the disclaimer footer (non-affiliation, no-warranty, correction-request process); added named developers where a low-risk, well-sourced parent-company name was missing (O'Leary Ventures for Wonder Valley, Synapse Real Estate Corp. for Synapse Olds DC, Chinook Development L.P. for Wild Rose Power Hub); and added an FAQ entry on Alberta's Foreign Ownership of Land Regulations (FOLR) and the October 2025 exemptions granted to Beacon Data Centers and Vibro Information Services, without attempting to audit the ownership or nationality of every proposal's investors.
June 10, 2026
Added eStruxture $750M investment figure (eStruxture official announcement); added Alberta 1.6→13.2 GW provincial capacity context; added AI Data Centre Concierge Program FAQ entry; updated electricity layer with provincial capacity note. Expanded from 5 to 13 tracked proposals; added a zone-based "what it might sound like" demo (near / moderate / infrasound distance ranges); added the ability to centre the map on a proposal's own real site (not just nearby towns); added air-quality and economic-benefit (jobs/water/electricity) comparison layers; added a contact-officials feature with draft-email templates; added this toolbar (search, glossary, FAQ, table view, shareable links, walkthrough).
Earlier
Initial release comparing the first 5 announced proposals (including Wonder Valley) against nearby Alberta communities, with footprint-overlay and basic stats.
This map is updated as new public information becomes available. Figures reflect company/government disclosures as of the dates shown — always check primary sources (linked via the Contact feature) for the latest.

Feedback / corrections

Spotted an inaccurate figure, a mis-located pin, a bug, or have a proposal to suggest adding? Send a note below — it goes straight to whoever maintains this map. This form doesn't publish or store your email anywhere on the page itself; it's relayed privately through Formspree.

📋 Known, not yet drawn

AESO's connection queue holds more requested data-centre load than the 20 proposals mapped here — but most of the rest are only a project code and a megawatt figure, with no public developer, site, or footprint to draw responsibly. This list is different: these are specific, named proposals we know a real amount about, but which still can't be plotted at a real location/size because that particular piece — a site plan, a footprint — hasn't been published yet. They're listed here instead of on the map itself for exactly that reason, and will move onto the map the moment that's no longer true.

This list is intentionally short — the same "don't fill gaps with assumptions" rule the rest of this map follows. If you know of another named, sourced proposal that belongs here, use the Feedback form to flag it.
📍 20 of 40+ Alberta AI data centre proposals mapped in detail Updated Aug 29, 2026

20 of 40+ AI data centres reshaping Alberta — see them at real scale.

Alberta's grid operator's connection queue held ~19,565 MW of requested data-centre load across 41 applications, as of AESO's July 30, 2026 connection list. We map the 20 with a named developer, a real site, and enough public reporting to compare responsibly — the rest are listed only by project code and megawatt figure, with nothing yet to draw to scale.

41applications in AESO's queue (Jul 30, 2026)
19,565 MWcombined power requested
20mapped here in detail
Aug 2026last updated

Every proposal, three lenses

An independent tracking project built from public filings, news reporting and AUC records — not affiliated with any developer, municipality, or regulator. Compare footprint, water, power and jobs side by side, with each proposal shown on its own.

Land & Power

  • Footprint vs. your town, to scale
  • On-site generation type
  • Grid capacity drawn

Water & Noise

  • Litres/year vs. city use
  • Decibel zones by distance
  • River basin pressure

Jobs & Investment

  • Construction vs. permanent roles
  • Stated capital invested
  • Est. municipal tax revenue
Select a city, or click any data centre pin to learn more

Actual DC locations are already pinned on the map

All 20 proposals — click a column heading to sort (click again to reverse)

Figures are company/government estimates from public announcements & filings — see the disclaimer for sources and methodology. "Investment" and "Air quality" are marked "not publicly disclosed" where no figure has been independently reported as of August 2026.
⚠ Impact layers are estimates for educational purposes only — not professional assessments. Sources & methodology in disclaimer above. Created June 2026 · updated August 2026. | Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors