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Beacon Indus Data Center Hub

Beacon proposes four 300 MW data halls and a 1.494 GW natural-gas power plant near Indus as part of its announced six-site Alberta portfolio. Rocky View County approved the area structure plan and land-use redesignation in June 2025, but the power plant remains in an active Alberta Utilities Commission proceeding and later municipal development permits are still required.

Beacon Data Centers / Indus Power Generation LPSection 11, Township 23, Range 28, W4M, near IndusMap precision: Approximate area
How to read this profilePublic recordProponent statementProponent projectionADCW context

Project facts

Core scale, approval, employment and schedule information, labelled by the type of evidence available.

Proponent statement

Proposed data centre load

1.2 GW

Four proposed data halls rated at 300 MW each.

Sources [6]
Public record

Proposed power plant

1.494 GW

The AUC application covers on-site natural-gas generation for the campus.

Sources [1]
ADCW context

Beacon Alberta portfolio

4.5 GW across six sites

Beacon announced up to CA$10 billion in Alberta investment and said sites could energize as early as 2027. These are portfolio-level claims, not a confirmed Indus funding or opening schedule.

Sources [9], [10]
ADCW context

Planning area

383 hectares

The approved area structure plan covers about 946 acres. The federal filing describes a smaller 627.2-acre data-centre campus within the broader planning area.

Sources [3], [6]
Public record

AUC proceeding

30524

The oral hearing is scheduled to begin August 18, 2026.

Sources [1]
ADCW context

Employment estimates

About 300 permanent jobs

The company FAQ says more than 1,500 construction jobs, while the federal filing says up to 4,500. The reviewed records do not reconcile the construction estimates.

Sources [7], [6]
Proponent projection

Target operation

Third quarter of 2027

A proponent schedule that remains subject to approvals, construction and commercial decisions.

Sources [6]

Energy and emissions

The proposed 1.494 GW power plant is larger than the planned 1.2 GW data centre load. Both figures describe a proposal, not operating capacity.

Important distinction: AUC Proceeding 30524 reviews the power plant and related facilities. Municipal planning approval did not approve the plant or authorize construction of the data halls.
Proponent statement

Data hall demand

Approximately 1,200 MW

The power plant is intended to serve four 300 MW data halls under normal operations.

Sources [1], [6]
Proponent statement

Reciprocating generation

100 units totalling 460 MW

The filing describes 100 natural-gas engines rated at 4.6 MW each.

Sources [6]
Proponent statement

Combined-cycle generation

Four generating blocks

The proposed plant combines reciprocating engines with four combined-cycle gas-turbine blocks for 1.494 GW total capacity.

Sources [6]
Proponent projection

Projected annual generation

About 10,500 GWh

The proponent estimate assumes full campus operation.

Sources [6]
Proponent projection

Maximum annual GHG estimate

4.784 million tonnes CO₂e

The federal filing's maximum estimate assumes a 1.2 GW load at 100 per cent utilization. It is not a measured result.

Sources [6]
ADCW context

Carbon capture

Future-ready design claimed

The filing discusses possible future carbon capture, renewable gas, hydrogen and offsets, but does not commit to a capture system or operating date.

Sources [6]

Water

The federal filing projects approximately 1,500 cubic metres of water demand per day. Supply agreements, final infrastructure capacity and measured use are not yet established in the public record. [6]

Proponent projection

Projected campus demand

About 1,500 m³ per day

The filing says water would come from the regional or municipal system through Langdon Waterworks.

Sources [6], [7]
Proponent statement

Cooling design

Air-cooled and closed-loop systems

The filing says the power systems would not use cooling towers or evaporative cooling.

Sources [6]
Proponent projection

Power-plant and site use

About 750 m³ per day

The estimate covers heat-recovery steam-generator makeup, fire protection, domestic use and maintenance within the overall campus projection.

Sources [6]
Proponent statement

Wastewater

Regional system proposed

The proponent proposes the East Rocky View regional system if feasible, with approved disposal alternatives if capacity or connection is unavailable.

Sources [6]

Approval and public process

The provincial power review and Rocky View County's later development-permit process are separate. Approval in one process does not replace the other.

Public record

Municipal planning

Area structure plan and redesignation approved

Rocky View County Council approved the planning framework and Special, Data Centre district on June 17, 2025.

Sources [2], [3]
Public record

Municipal construction approval

Development permits still required

The County states that municipal development permits are required even if the AUC approves the power plant.

Sources [2]
Public record

County policy update

Later permits are now discretionary

On July 21, 2026, Council made data-centre campuses discretionary uses and reserved those permit decisions for Council. The separate pause on new S-DAT rezoning decisions does not reverse Beacon's June 2025 redesignation.

Sources [4], [5]
Public record

AUC review

Active proceeding

Proceeding 30524 covers the proposed 1.494 GW thermal power plant. The oral hearing is scheduled for August 18, 2026.

Sources [1]
Public record

County participation

Rocky View County is participating

The County identifies noise, emissions, water, agricultural land and rural quality of life among its areas of concern.

Sources [2]
Public record

Public engagement

Open house held April 15, 2025

The event formed part of the area structure plan process. Later regulatory processes have separate participation rules.

Sources [3]

Timeline

Observed decisions and future dates are kept distinct; projected milestones may change.

  1. Public record

    Beacon held a public open house during the area structure plan process. [3]

  2. Public record

    Rocky View County Council approved the area structure plan and land-use redesignation. [2][3]

  3. Public record

    The federal Initial Project Description was accepted into the public registry. [6]

  4. Public record

    The AUC issued notice for Proceeding 30524. [1]

  5. Public record

    Rocky View County made data-centre campuses discretionary uses decided by Council and paused decisions on new S-DAT rezoning applications while it develops an Emerging Sector Strategy and regulatory framework. Beacon's existing redesignation was not reversed. [4][5]

  6. Public record

    The AUC oral hearing is scheduled to begin. [1]

  7. Proponent projection

    The proponent targets initial operation, subject to approvals and construction. [6]

What we still don't know

Some details have not been made public or remain unresolved. We keep those gaps visible and update them when reliable information becomes available.

  • The AUC has not issued a final decision on the proposed power plant.
  • Municipal development permits for the data halls and related site construction were not confirmed in the reviewed public record.
  • How Rocky View County's new discretionary permit framework will affect Beacon's later development-permit applications remains unresolved.
  • A final investment decision, committed customers, financing structure and binding construction schedule were not found in the reviewed sources.
  • The reviewed records do not reconcile the 946-acre municipal planning area with the 627.2-acre data-centre campus described in the federal filing.
  • The reviewed records do not reconcile the construction employment estimates of more than 1,500 and up to 4,500 workers.
  • Final water-service agreements, available system capacity, wastewater routing and phase-level demand have not been published.
  • The filing describes carbon-capture readiness and other future mitigation options, but no capture facility, capture rate or operating commitment is established.
  • Final gas-supply infrastructure, grid interconnection arrangements and any export of surplus generation remain unresolved.

Source record

Primary and official sources reviewed for this profile. Company disclosures support what the company said, not independent verification of future outcomes.

  1. Beacon AI Centers Indus Project thermal power plant

    Alberta Utilities Commission · Regulator · Updated through July 2026

  2. Beacon AI Hub Area Structure Plan

    Rocky View County · Municipal record · Updated through July 2026

  3. Beacon AI Hub Area Structure Plan

    Rocky View County · Municipal record · 2025-06-17

  4. Council Decisions: July 21, 2026

    Rocky View County · Municipal record · 2026-07-21

  5. Emerging Sector Strategy

    Rocky View County · Municipal record · Updated through July 2026

  6. Indus Data Center Hub Initial Project Description summary

    Impact Assessment Agency of Canada · Federal filing · 2025-12-29

  7. Indus data centre frequently asked questions

    Beacon Data Centers · Company disclosure · 2026-02

  8. Beacon Indus Data Center Hub

    Government of Alberta Major Projects · Government database · Accessed 2026-07-28

  9. Beacon commits to an initial 4.5 GW Alberta portfolio

    Beacon AI Centers / Business Wire · Company disclosure · 2025-05-15

  10. Calgary firm eyes $10B AI data centre building blitz

    The Logic · News reporting · 2025-05-15