Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials HomeEnergyInnovationA data centre freeze north of Calgary comes just as Edmonton power producer hails Meta dealSome communities are pushing back. Rocky View County, near Calgary, has imposed a temporary moratorium on new data centre proposals You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Artist rendering of the new data centre planned near in Sturgeon County, about 30 to 35 km north of Edmonton, Alta. Photo by Supplied Photo/Meta Platforms Inc.An Alberta power producer took a victory lap Wednesday over its contract to help electrify Meta Platforms Inc.’s data centre north of Edmonton. Local politicians to the south put a stop sign in front of the industry.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorCapital Power Corp. said it will supply the province’s newest data centre with plants it already owns and says it can do it without straining reliability or affordability for Albertans.“Alberta is open for business,” Avik Dey, chief executive officer of Capital Power, said on a quarterly earnings call Wednesday, crediting clearer government rules that put the province near the front of North America’s data centre market.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again“New customers and Alberta’s existing industries together mean the province will need a lot more reliable electricity in the years ahead,” Dey said.Capital Power agreed in early July to supply 250 megawatts of electricity to a giant, $13-billion data centre Meta is building 20 minutes outside of Edmonton, on a deal running longer than 10 years. The power starts flowing in the second half of 2028.The Alberta government is looking to attract even more data centres to generate investment and find new customers for the province’s natural gas producers, which have dealt with sagging prices.Some communities are pushing back. Rocky View County, near Calgary, has imposed a temporary moratorium on new data centre proposals.The area’s municipal council voted 5-2 on July 21 to stop new applications to rezone land for data centre use, until new rules are in place, which councillors expect this fall.At the same meeting, the council received a long list of letters and emails from residents of the county who are opposed to data centres.“No one wants these. Listen to the taxpayers,” Amanda Jo Couture wrote. Another resident, Beatrice Renton, wrote to say her family has owned farms in the county for over 60 years.“We are opposed to any data centre development in the Langdon area,” Renton wrote. “This is not in keeping with the vital agricultural use of these lands which are under threat with the intrusion of data centres and the like.”North of Edmonton, Capital Power said it is not building any new infrastructure for Meta or making additional capital investments to serve its deal.“The agreement does not tie up any single facility,” Dey said.The 250 megawatts will come from Capital Power’s broader Alberta operations, leaving Genesee, its largest plant, free to sell to other customers. Genesee sits about 75 kilometres southwest of Edmonton, near Warburg and supplies roughly 10 percent of Alberta’s electrical grid.Genesee is “one of the most attractive sites in all North America for data centre development, but most importantly, without compromising affordability and reliability to the consumers that we serve in Alberta,” Dey said.None of that has hit the books yet. The Meta power does not start flowing for another couple of years.Capital Power’s quarterly earnings told a less flattering story. The company reported a net loss of $43 million, or 33 cents a share, a narrower loss than the $131 million it dropped in the same quarter last year. Over the first six months the company is down $28 million after a $19 million profit a year ago.“Alberta demand growth is accelerating,” chief financial officer Kevin Macintosh said in a conference call about the earnings. “Power market fundamentals are strengthening, and we’re seeing tangible evidence that customers are willing to pay for reliable, dispatchable power.”Nearly all of Canada’s planned data centre capacity, 92 percent, is headed to Alberta according to researchers at York University’s Schulich School of Business, while holding 10 percent of the facilities running today. The megawatts may be ready. The zoning is not. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.