VC unveils plan for 7.5 GW data centre in Alberta
Venture capitalist Kevin O’Leary said December 9 his O’Leary Ventures investment firm would partner with the Municipal District of Greenview in northwest Alberta to develop a 7.5 GW off-grid natural gas and geothermal powered data centre.
If built out to its full potential, the data centre campus, comprised of 58 buildings encompassing some 35mn ft2, would become the largest artificial intelligence data centre in the world.
A letter of intent signed by O’Leary Ventures and the Greenview Industrial Gateway (GIG), an industrial development near the town of Grande Prairie, calls for the purchase and development of thousands of acres both within and to the south of the GIG.
“My joint venture team led by Paul Palandjian, CEO O’Leary Ventures and Carl Agren, CEO, HPC and AI Data Centres, has sourced what we believe is the most compelling site in all North America to generate and offer 7.5 GW of low-cost power to hyperscalers over the next 5-10 years,” O’Leary said. “Given existing permits, proximity to stranded sources of natural gas, pipeline infrastructure, water and a fiber optic network within just a few kilometers of the Greenview Industrial Gateway, we will be in the ground and up and running sooner than any scale project of its kind.”
Dubbed “Wonder Valley”, the project will be rolled out in phases, with the initial phase to consist of 1.4 GW of redundant power at a cost of about US$2bn. Subsequent phases will be developed annually in 1 GW increments, bringing the total investment over the life of the project to more than US$70bn when considering the infrastructure, power, data centres and ancillary structures.
“This is fantastic news for Alberta,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said. “Our efforts to attract investment, grow our technology and innovation sector, and leverage our natural and human resources are being noticed.”
Earlier this month, Alberta launched an AI data centre attraction strategy aimed at positioning the province as a competitive choice for data centre developments.
“Alberta is uniquely positioned to capture the AI data centre opportunity, leveraging our vast natural gas resources and pro-business environment to create thousands of high-quality jobs and attract billions in investment,” said Nate Glubish, Alberta’s Minister of Technology and Innovation. “This strategy is not just about building infrastructure; it's about fostering innovation and establishing Alberta as a hub for high-tech industries, driving economic growth and supporting critical public services like healthcare and education.”
The Alberta Electricity System Operator (AESO) already has 12 data centres on its project list totalling 6.5 GW of load and has about 1 GW of additional dispatchable generation over and above the province’s current needs.