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Verified project profile

Synapse Olds Data Centre

Synapse proposes a 1 GW data-centre campus with a 1.4 GW on-site natural-gas power plant in northeast Olds. The power-plant application is in an active Alberta Utilities Commission proceeding; as of July 23, 2026, the Town says it has not received a development-permit application for the data centre.

Synapse Real Estate Corp.Northeast industrial area at Highway 2A and Highway 27, OldsMap 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

Announced data-centre capacity

1 GW

Ten proposed 100 MW data-centre blocks at full build.

Sources [12]
Proponent projection

Announced investment

CA$10 billion

A proponent estimate repeated in the provincial Major Projects database; no final investment decision was found in the reviewed record.

Sources [11], [10]
Proponent statement

Proposed campus size

2 million sq. ft.

Company-announced capacity across the proposed full campus.

Sources [12], [10]
Public record

AUC proceeding

30732, in progress

Application 30732-A001 concerns the proposed on-site power plant and emergency generation.

Sources [1], [3]
Public record

Municipal permit

No active application

The Town of Olds says neither proposed Olds data-centre project has filed a development-permit application.

Sources [1]
Proponent projection

Employment

2,000 construction; 1,000+ permanent

Proponent projections, not observed job counts or binding commitments.

Sources [11], [10]

Energy and emissions

The active AUC proceeding covers the proposed on-site power plant and emergency generation. Capacity figures describe the proposed full build, not operating equipment.

Important distinction: An active AUC application for the 1.4 GW power plant is not approval of the data-centre campus. The connected components are subject to separate provincial and municipal processes.
Public record

On-site gas generation

1.4 GW

Ten proposed 140 MW combined-cycle natural-gas plants would supply the ten data-centre blocks.

Sources [3], [2], [7]
Public record

Grid connection

Not proposed

The power plant is proposed as behind-the-meter self-supply and would not connect to the Alberta interconnected electric system.

Sources [3], [2]
Public record

Emergency diesel generation

1.8 GW across 600 generators

The application pairs 60 generators with each of ten modular blocks. These are proposed backup units, not operating equipment.

Sources [3], [2], [4]
Proponent projection

Normal-operation air modelling

Compliance predicted for modelled pollutants

The proponent's February assessment predicted normal-operation compliance for NO₂ and assessed local SO₂ and PM₂.₅ impacts; this is modelling, not measured operational data.

Sources [5]
Public record

Emergency air-quality scenario

Exceedances predicted

The proponent's model predicts one-hour NO₂ and 24-hour PM₂.₅ exceedances if all ten gas plants shut down and the full diesel fleet operates. The Town's peer reviewer found the proposed management detail insufficient.

Sources [5], [6], [2]
Public record

Final noise design

Not yet confirmed

The AUC's second information request says detailed engineering, procurement and final equipment specifications remained incomplete, while compliance depends on specified mitigation.

Sources [4], [7]
ADCW context

Annual greenhouse-gas emissions

Not found in reviewed public sources

The reviewed air-quality material addresses local pollutants, not a complete annual CO₂e estimate for the 1.4 GW full build.

Sources [5], [6]

Water

Published water figures are projections. The Town and proponent pages do not yet present a fully consistent total, so the discrepancy remains visible below.

Proponent projection

Municipal water projection

Up to 60 m³/day

The Town attributes this estimate to Synapse's AUC filing and says it would cover data-centre operations, sanitation and on-site staff.

Sources [8]
Proponent projection

Power-plant make-up water

Approximately 20 m³/day

The Town says Synapse intends to obtain high-purity boiler make-up water from industrial partners and deliver it by truck.

Sources [8]
ADCW context

One-time cooling-system fill

900 m³ per building

The Town says each of the ten proposed buildings would require an off-site-supplied one-time fill, or 9,000 m³ if all ten are built.

Sources [8]
ADCW context

Published total

Not internally consistent

Synapse's FAQ describes roughly 40 m³/day for staff and the power plant, while the Town page describes up to 60 m³/day of municipal demand plus about 20 m³/day of trucked plant water and elsewhere calls 60 m³/day the project total.

Sources [8], [12]
Proponent projection

Cooling design

Closed-loop systems proposed

The proponent says both the data centre and gas plant would use closed-loop cooling. Measured consumption will not exist unless the project is built and operating.

Sources [12]

Approval and public process

The provincial power-plant review and the Town's future development-permit process are connected but legally distinct.

Public record

Power-plant application

AUC review in progress

Synapse filed Application 30732-A001 on April 3, 2026. The proceeding covers the proposed gas plant and emergency generation.

Sources [1], [3], [4]
Public record

Data-centre application

Not filed with the Town

No municipal development-permit review or decision can occur until an application is submitted.

Sources [1], [2]
Public record

Municipal land use

Discretionary use

The site is in the Light Industrial District. A data centre is discretionary; a self-supply power plant is treated as an accessory use, subject to the Town's review and AUC paramountcy.

Sources [2]
Public record

First AUC filing

Closed for deficiencies

The AUC closed the first application on March 6, 2026 because the submission was incomplete. The Town explicitly distinguishes this from rejection after a full merits review.

Sources [1]
Public record

Town participation

Support in principle, with conditions sought

The Town registered in the AUC proceeding and requested binding measures on air quality, noise, emergency planning, reclamation, construction reporting and other municipal concerns.

Sources [2]
Public record

Developer engagement

Three rounds reported

The Town records engagement beginning January 26, an April 1 open house attended by about 30 people, and June 10 consultations attended by about 40.

Sources [1]

Timeline

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

  1. Public record

    The Town and Synapse began discussing the proposed project; the Town signed a preliminary mutual confidentiality agreement. [2][9]

  2. Proponent statement

    Synapse and Invest Olds publicly announced the proposed CA$10 billion development. [11]

  3. Public record

    The AUC closed Synapse's first power-plant application after identifying filing deficiencies. [1]

  4. Public record

    Synapse filed the current AUC power-plant application, 30732-A001. [4]

  5. Public record

    The Town of Olds filed its Statement of Intent to Participate in Proceeding 30732. [2]

  6. Public record

    The AUC issued its second round of information requests on noise, procurement, siting, diesel generation and other unresolved details. [4]

  7. ADCW context

    Deadline set by the AUC for Synapse's round-two information responses; ADCW had not located a published response at the time of verification. [4]

  8. Public record

    Current scheduled deadline for interveners' written evidence. The hearing schedule has not yet been determined. [1]

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 decision on the proposed power plant, and a hearing date had not been set at the time of verification.
  • No development-permit application, municipal approval or construction authorization for the data-centre campus has been filed or issued.
  • A final investment decision, committed hyperscale customer, financing structure and binding construction schedule were not found in the reviewed public record.
  • Final turbine, chiller and generator selections remain unresolved in the AUC record reviewed, as does the final noise-control design based on that equipment.
  • A complete project-specific annual greenhouse-gas estimate for the proposed 1.4 GW full build was not found in the reviewed public sources.
  • Published daily water figures are not fully consistent across the Town and proponent pages; the eventual municipal and trucked-water totals require clarification.
  • The proposed Community Benefits Program has not been publicly defined as a binding amount, formula or governance structure.
  • Synapse's application estimates decommissioning costs at approximately CA$290 million and proposes delayed security beginning in year 10; the final security schedule and beneficiary remain unresolved.
  • The Town estimates CA$5–7 million in annual municipal property tax at full build, but the taxable assessment will not be known unless facilities are built and operating.
  • The provincial Major Projects map explicitly labels its Olds coordinate a placeholder. ADCW uses the proponent's linked site point and marks it as an approximate area, not a surveyed footprint.

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 Status: Proposed Data Centre Developments

    Town of Olds · Municipal record · Updated through 2026-07-23

  2. Town of Olds Statement of Intent to Participate: Proceeding 30732

    Town of Olds / Alberta Utilities Commission · Regulatory filing · 2026-05-29

  3. Notice of information session and hearing: Proceeding 30732

    Alberta Utilities Commission · Regulator · 2026-04-29

  4. Information request round 2 to Synapse Real Estate Corp.

    Alberta Utilities Commission · Regulator · 2026-07-09

  5. Air Quality Dispersion Modelling Assessment: Synapse 1.4 GW Power Plant

    Calvin Consulting Group Ltd. for Synapse · Regulatory filing · 2026-02-12

  6. Peer Review of the Synapse Data Air Quality Assessment

    Cambium Inc. for the Town of Olds · Municipal record · 2026-03-05

  7. Peer Review: Noise Impact Assessment for Olds Data Center

    Englobe Corp. for the Town of Olds · Municipal record · 2026-03-20

  8. Water, Environment & Emissions

    Town of Olds · Municipal record · Accessed 2026-07-23

  9. Transparency & Public Trust

    Town of Olds · Municipal record · Accessed 2026-07-23

  10. Synapse Olds Data Centre

    Government of Alberta Major Projects · Government database · Accessed 2026-07-23

  11. Synapse Data Center Inc. announces proposed Olds development

    Town of Olds / Invest Olds · Company disclosure · 2026-01-27

  12. Synapse Data Center and Natural Gas Plant Development

    Synapse Data Center · Company disclosure · Accessed 2026-07-23