Alberta’s power regulator has authorized the development of a 920-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant to supply electricity to a large data centre near Edmonton. The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) granted approval on Friday for the facility, which will be located in the Industrial Heartland area of Sturgeon County.
The project will be developed and operated by Heartland Power Generation LP, a subsidiary of Beacon Group Holdings Inc., which also holds a controlling interest in Beacon Data Centers Inc., the company behind the adjacent data centre. The proposed on-site data centre will house four data halls designed to support artificial intelligence and high-performance computing operations, according to documents submitted to the AUC in July.
The AUC’s approval pertains exclusively to the power plant, as the commission does not have regulatory authority over data centres themselves. The latter requires separate municipal approvals, including zoning changes and development permits. Industry experts have noted that obtaining provincial green lights for power generation typically paves the way for subsequent municipal permissions.
Construction of the power plant is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2026, with completion targeted for late 2027. The site’s proximity to a major hyperscale data centre hub announced by Meta in July underscores the region’s growing role as a data infrastructure nexus.
Following the project’s submission to the AUC in December 2025, one local landowner and five Indigenous groups registered to participate in the commission’s proceeding. The AUC’s intervenor process enables stakeholders, including nearby residents and First Nations, to express concerns or objections to significant energy developments. By the time of approval, all but one Indigenous group had withdrawn their participation. The Samson Cree First Nation remained the sole active intervenor throughout the review.
The decision marks a significant step forward for the project, which supporters view as essential to meeting the power demands of emerging data technologies in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland.