US Developer Tied to Bitcoin Controversy Proposes Gas-Fired Power Project in Alberta

A proposed gas-fired power project in Alberta, Canada, has raised concerns over its potential environmental impact and the involvement of a US-based developer with a history of controversy.

The Black Bear Power Project (BBPP) is a $1.3-billion plan to build a 466-megawatt gas plant near Swan Hills, northwest of Edmonton. The project was originally approved in 2024 by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada under Calgary-based Kiwetinohk Energy, with a commitment to capture and store carbon dioxide.

However, Kiwetinohk exited the power business in 2025 after being acquired by another company, and cancelled a proposed grid connection. In 2026, US-based Teton Digital LLC reanimated the project, but without any mention of carbon capture on its website.

Teton's CEO, Scott Bennett, testified in a 2024 court case that his company had no employees and didn't get off the ground at all. Yet, Teton is now marketing the BBPP as fully permitted at the federal level, with Alberta's TIER carbon cost fixed through 2040 under a Canada-Alberta agreement.

The project would produce about one million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, adding to Alberta's already-strained grid and climate concerns. Local Indigenous communities have expressed objections to the project, citing environmental concerns.