Alberta Data Centre Project Could Cost Up to $15 Billion

A massive new data centre project has been proposed for west-central Alberta, Canada. Emerald Energy Technologies, a subsidiary of Tourmaline Oil Corp., plans to build the Malachite One data centre on Crown land about 40 kilometres southwest of Edson in Yellowhead County.

The project would be located next to Tourmaline's existing Banshee Gas Plant and could include up to 7.1 million square feet of data centre space. It would generate most of its own electricity, consuming approximately 150 million cubic feet of natural gas daily and producing 930 megawatts of electricity.

Malachite One is expected to create 300-500 long-term jobs and 40-60 permanent positions at the power-generation facility. The company is also considering adding carbon-capture and storage (CCS) technology in 2031, which could capture up to 90% of the power plant's carbon dioxide emissions.

The project has not been approved yet, requiring several reviews and approvals by the province. Emerald estimates the power-generation facility could cost up to $5 billion, with the data centre infrastructure costing up to $15 billion.