Overview
- The Alberta Utilities Commission denied Synapse Real Estate Corp.’s application on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, saying the proposed natural‑gas plant was too close to the surrounding community and that Synapse had not shown a compelling reason for the site choice.
- Synapse had proposed a 10‑building data‑centre campus that would need about 1.4 gigawatts of on‑site power and included roughly 1.8 gigawatts of emergency diesel backup in its planning documents.
- Hundreds of Olds residents opposed the project, raising concerns about noise, air pollution, falling home values, safety, and pressure on local health and emergency services; the AUC received about 1,500 requests to participate in the hearing and granted standing to more than 900 parties.
- The town of Olds has not received a development permit from Synapse and municipal zoning remains the deciding factor for siting, while the AUC’s role focuses on whether proposed power infrastructure serves the public interest; Alberta’s technology minister said the ruling shows the system of checks is working.
- The decision is likely to shape how future large data‑centre proposals are evaluated in Alberta, increases scrutiny of on‑site gas generation, and comes as the province balances courting big tech investment with local and environmental concerns seen in other cases such as Meta’s planned Sturgeon County project.