About This Map
A plain, sourced map of data centre and physical compute activity across Alberta — what's operating, proposed, in public review, or tied to a formal early agreement. Every record links to its public source. Where something isn't known, we say so. We don't guess.
This is an information tool, not a campaign for or against data centres.
How to Read This Map
- 1.
Find a project.
Tap a marker to see its status, size, location, and sources.
- 2.
Check the status.
Status shows how far along the public record says the project is.
- 3.
Follow the source.
Every record links to where the information came from.
What Gets Mapped
A record can appear on the map only when all of the following are true:
- 1.There is a public source.
- 2.There is a named project, company, site, municipality, or application.
- 3.There is enough location detail to place it without inventing precision.
- 4.The source clearly ties it to a data centre or physical compute use.
MOU / formal early agreement is the lowest on-map threshold.
Early-stage records may appear on the map when a public source identifies a signed MOU, framework agreement, formal application, regulatory filing, or named project clearly tied to a data centre or physical compute use.
General discussion, municipal readiness, rumours, and unnamed expressions of interest are not enough on their own.
Examples:
- —A signed MOU with named parties and enough location detail can be mapped.
- —A public AESO/AUC/IAAC/municipal application tied to a data centre can be mapped.
- —A municipality preparing its land-use bylaw for possible future data centres is not enough by itself.
- —A news article pointing to a nearby application is a lead — the map needs the direct source before adding a marker.
- —A power plant connected to data-centre load can support a related data-centre record, but does not become a standalone data-centre marker.
What Does Not Get Mapped
- —Rumours
- —General discussion
- —Municipalities merely preparing bylaws
- —Generic site marketing with no named data-centre project
- —Unnamed expressions of interest
- —Generic large-load speculation
- —Standalone power plants
- —Substations
- —Transmission lines
- —Fibre projects
- —Supporting infrastructure unless directly tied to a named data centre or physical compute facility
What Grid and Permit Records Can — and Can't — Tell Us
Many records come from power-connection requests, regulatory filings, municipal documents, company announcements, or public project listings.
These records can show:
- ✓The project name
- ✓Who filed it
- ✓The requested size
- ✓The general area
- ✓Whether it is tied to a data centre
They do not prove:
- ✗That it's approved
- ✗That it's funded
- ✗That it's being built
- ✗That it's running
- ✗Who the final customer is
A filing is a source record, not a finished project.
Source Limitations
Being on this map is not approval. Inclusion means there is enough public information to show the record.
Power figures are source-reported figures. They may describe requested connection size, proposed capacity, first phase, or full build-out. They are not always the same as actual electricity use.
Water depends on the cooling method. Air-cooled sites use very little; evaporative cooling uses much more. For most projects, water use hasn't been disclosed — so we don't estimate it.
Figures can mix project phases. Some sizes are full build-out; others are a first phase. Check the source link for specifics.
Transparency Model: What We Know / What We Don't Know
Each project detail view organizes information into three areas. This is not a judgement on the project — it is a transparency label about what public sources have and have not confirmed.
What public sources confirm or report
Claims explicitly stated in reviewed public sources — official documents, regulatory filings, press releases, or news reporting that directly names a figure or fact. Each item is labelled with its source basis.
Still unclear
Details not confirmed in public sources reviewed: water source, cooling method, final end user, project cost, and other fields. “Still unclear” is not a judgement on the project — it reflects the limits of public disclosure.
Context only
Geographic and contextual information. Nearby water bodies are geographic proximity only — they do not confirm project water use. Nearest communities are for orientation only. Approximate markers have not been confirmed from a parcel or civic address.
Source Types
Official
Government registries (Alberta Major Projects), government press releases, official project announcements.
Regulatory
AER, AESO, AUC, municipal planning documents, environmental assessments. These confirm grid-process or regulatory-process information only — not project approval, construction, or operation.
Operator
Developer or operator website, investor documents, corporate filings. Self-reported — not independently verified unless corroborated.
News
Trade press, regional news, investigative reporting. Always attributed to the specific article.
Municipal
Municipal council minutes, planning applications, local government communications.
See Sources for full detail on what each source type can and cannot prove.
Sources
What each source type can and cannot prove.
Data gaps
Fields not yet confirmed per project.
Download data
CSV and JSON dataset export.
Alberta Data Centre Map — not affiliated with any project or government body. Dataset last updated: June 2025.