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Mihta Askiy Data Centre

Mihta Askiy is a proposed 650 MW data centre and natural-gas power project at the former Carmon Creek industrial site northeast of Peace River. The project is 51 per cent owned by Woodland Cree First Nation. The federal government decided that a full federal impact assessment was not required, but that was not permission to build. The proposed power plant and substation are still under review by the Alberta Utilities Commission.

Mihta Askiy Datacenter LP / Cree Ative Datacenter Corp GPFormer Carmon Creek site, northeast of Peace RiverMap 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

Ownership

51% Woodland Cree First Nation

Sovereign Digital Infrastructure holds the remaining 49 per cent, according to the federal filing.

Sources [3]
Proponent statement

Initial data centre

400 MW

Two proposed 200 MW phases at the reused Carmon Creek site.

Sources [3]
Proponent statement

Full-build data centre

650 MW

The filing describes a later 250 MW expansion.

Sources [3]
Public record

AUC proceeding

30787

The active applications cover a 650 MW combined-cycle power plant and the Sunrise Substation.

Sources [1]
Proponent statement

Power-site footprint

About 20.6 hectares

The filing describes reuse of the partially developed former Shell Carmon Creek site and says no additional power-plant clearing is planned.

Sources [3]
Proponent projection

Operations employment

About 40 full-time jobs

A proponent estimate for the combined power plant and data centre. A construction workforce estimate was not found in the reviewed filing.

Sources [3]
Proponent projection

Expected operating life

30 years

The federal registry describes the proposed operating period.

Sources [2]

Energy and emissions

The project would begin with approximately 400 MW of simple-cycle natural-gas generation and later expand to 650 MW in combined-cycle configuration.

Important distinction: The federal filing's annual greenhouse-gas table is internally inconsistent with its stated generation capacity and emissions intensity. ADCW does not treat the annual total as resolved.
Proponent statement

Initial generation

Approximately 400 MW

Two natural-gas turbines would operate in simple-cycle configuration during the initial phase.

Sources [3]
Proponent statement

Full-build generation

650 MW

A later steam turbine would convert the plant to combined cycle and support the expanded data centre.

Sources [3], [1]
Proponent statement

Grid connection

Two 240 kV transmission lines

The filing proposes connections between the project substation and the existing Wesley Creek Substation.

Sources [3]
Public record

AUC facilities

Power plant and Sunrise Substation

Proceeding 30787 covers the 650 MW combined-cycle facility and associated substation applications.

Sources [1]
ADCW context

Annual GHG estimate

Not resolved

The filing's annual totals do not align mathematically with its 400 MW capacity and stated 556.906 kg/MWh emissions intensity. An updated air-quality assessment was identified for the AUC process.

Sources [3]

Water

The filing projects up to 5,000 cubic metres of daily water use for the initial phase and discusses earlier Carmon Creek infrastructure. Current licences, intake capacity and required upgrades remain unresolved. [3], [5]

Proponent projection

Initial daily use

Up to 5,000 m³

A proponent projection for the initial power and data-centre phase.

Sources [3]
ADCW context

Historical planning volume

Up to 11,000 m³ per day

The filing discusses water volumes associated with earlier Shell planning. This is not evidence that Mihta Askiy currently holds authorization to withdraw that amount.

Sources [3], [5]
Proponent statement

Proposed source

Peace River

The project expects to use or adapt infrastructure associated with the former Carmon Creek development.

Sources [3]
Proponent statement

Power-plant cooling

Evaporative cooling anticipated

The combined-cycle steam condenser is expected to use evaporative cooling.

Sources [3]
Proponent statement

Data-centre cooling

Closed-loop system proposed

The filing distinguishes the data-centre cooling loop from the power plant's anticipated cooling system.

Sources [3]
Public record

Infrastructure status

Capacity and upgrades unresolved

Northern Sunrise County asked the proponent to confirm the water source, engage affected infrastructure owners and identify upgrades because earlier intake modifications were not completed.

Sources [5]

Approval and public process

The federal decision means no further assessment under the federal Impact Assessment Act. It is not project approval and does not replace AUC, Water Act or other required authorizations.

Public record

Federal early decision

No further federal assessment required

The Impact Assessment Agency concluded that likely effects could be limited or addressed through other laws. The decision explicitly does not approve the project.

Sources [4]
Public record

AUC review

Active proceeding

Proceeding 30787 reviews the proposed power plant and Sunrise Substation.

Sources [1]
Public record

Other authorizations

Still required

The project remains subject to applicable federal and provincial permits, licences and approvals.

Sources [4], [2]
Public record

Municipal concerns

Water, workforce and emergency planning raised

Northern Sunrise County asked for clearer permit status, socioeconomic and housing information, emergency planning and infrastructure commitments.

Sources [5]
ADCW context

Indigenous ownership

Majority First Nation-owned

Woodland Cree First Nation's ownership is a central project feature. The filing also identifies engagement with other Indigenous communities and regulators as an ongoing requirement.

Sources [3], [4]

Timeline

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

  1. ADCW context

    Shell suspended the Carmon Creek development, leaving partially constructed industrial infrastructure later proposed for reuse. [3]

  2. Public record

    The proponent submitted the federal Initial Project Description and project-location data. [2][6]

  3. Public record

    Northern Sunrise County submitted comments on permits, water infrastructure, workforce planning and emergency services. [5]

  4. Public record

    The Impact Assessment Agency issued its early decision that no further federal impact assessment was required. [4]

  5. Public record

    The AUC opened public participation in Proceeding 30787 for the power plant and substation applications. [1]

  6. Proponent projection

    The proponent targets initial 400 MW operation, subject to approvals and construction. [3]

  7. Proponent projection

    The proponent targets combined-cycle conversion and expansion to 650 MW. [3]

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 and Sunrise Substation.
  • A final investment decision, committed customers, financing structure and binding construction schedule were not found in the reviewed public record.
  • The current status and transfer or reissuance requirements for permits associated with the former Carmon Creek project remain unresolved.
  • The final Water Act licence, authorized withdrawal volume, intake capacity, infrastructure ownership and required upgrades were not established in the reviewed sources.
  • The federal filing's annual greenhouse-gas table is internally inconsistent. A corrected project-specific annual estimate is needed.
  • The filing estimates about 40 permanent jobs but does not provide a construction workforce estimate or binding local-employment commitments.
  • Final transmission routing, interconnection terms and the balance between on-site consumption and grid exchange have not been published.
  • The scope, governance and capacity of the proposed Woodland Cree language and cultural data component have not been published in detail.
  • Municipal development approvals, emergency-service agreements, housing impacts, tax revenue and community-benefit commitments 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. Current applications (search Proceeding 30787)

    Alberta Utilities Commission · Regulator · Accessed 2026-07-28

  2. Mihta Askiy Data Center Project registry

    Impact Assessment Agency of Canada · Federal filing · Updated through July 2026

  3. Mihta Askiy Data Center Initial Project Description

    Impact Assessment Agency of Canada · Federal filing · 2025

  4. Early decision with reasons

    Impact Assessment Agency of Canada · Regulator · 2026-03-03

  5. Northern Sunrise County submission on the Initial Project Description

    Northern Sunrise County · Municipal record · 2026-01-21

  6. Mihta Askiy project location data

    Impact Assessment Agency of Canada · Federal filing · 2025

  7. Mihta Askiy Data Centre

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