The Alberta Utilities Commission denied Synapse Real Estate’s application to build a 1.4-gigawatt natural gas power plant serving a data centre in the town, which sits between Calgary and Edmonton. The regulator said the site “is simply not suitable for the proposed development.” (The Logic)

Talking point: Some residents of Olds opposed the project over concerns about the resources and infrastructure it would require. The commission closed Synapse’s first application in March, saying it had deficiencies including a lack of proper consultation. This time, it considered where the power plant would go—near residential and commercial areas, rather than in an industrial zone. The regulator made clear it wasn’t commenting on “the suitability of a data centre in this location,” since that isn’t its role. Alberta has encouraged firms that want to build new AI compute facilities to bring their own power, by setting up new generation plants rather than connecting to a grid that doesn’t have a lot of spare capacity. Technology Minister Nate Glubish said the Olds decision is proof that the provincial approach to data centres works.

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