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Verified project profile

Wild Rose Power Hub Data Centre

The County is reviewing a developer-led area structure plan, which would guide future land use and services. Approval to prepare that plan was not permission to build. For nearby residents, the unresolved questions include water demand, sound at nearby communities, road and servicing costs, and how many lasting jobs the project would bring.

BHE Canada / Chinook Development LP
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.

Public record

Planning area

Approximately 479 acres

The County identifies SW, SE, and NE 09-23-27W04. The map marker remains approximate.

Sources [1]
Proponent projection

Lasting jobs

200–300 projected

The developer's estimate for ongoing operations, not verified employment.

Sources [4]
ADCW context

Job-number conflict

975–2,100 means different things in two sources

The developer calls this construction employment; Alberta Major Projects calls it direct operations employment. ADCW has not reconciled the discrepancy and does not present the larger number as lasting jobs.

Sources [4], [6]

Energy and emissions

The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) lists a two-stage grid request. The developer proposes to obtain power through Alberta's grid.

Important distinction: An off-site power supply still has infrastructure and emissions implications. No final supply plant or binding delivery arrangement was verified.
Public record

Grid request

1,300 MW

September 2026: P3108 lists 300 MW and 1,000 MW stages at Stage 2, with service dates under review. It is not a supply approval.

Sources [7]
Proponent statement

Primary generation

Off-site supply proposed

The developer says no on-site power plant would be built and supply would come from outside Rocky View County. This does not verify lower household electricity bills.

Sources [4]
ADCW context

Backup and emissions

Design not quantified

The FAQ anticipates limited backup-generator use but does not identify capacity, fuel, or a site emissions inventory.

Sources [5]

Water

Dry cooling is a proposed design, not a measured water-use result. The wider site still needs a servicing plan.

Proponent statement

Cooling

Closed-loop dry cooling proposed

BHE Canada claims virtually no operational water for core cooling. Total site withdrawal and consumption are not published.

Sources [5]
Proponent statement

Stormwater and services

Developer-provided infrastructure proposed

The project page identifies on-site stormwater retention and off-site utility servicing, without establishing approved designs or allocated capacity.

Sources [4]
Public record

Required studies

Water, wastewater, and drainage

The terms of reference call for servicing analysis. A plan to study capacity is not an approved water allocation.

Sources [2]

Noise

Published developer targets do not identify how much sound would reach nearby communities.

Proponent projection

Developer operational targets

65 dB day; 55 dB evening

No measurement location or acoustic weighting is given. These are not verified levels at homes or established permit limits.

Sources [5]
Proponent projection

Construction sound

Approximately 95 dB claimed

The FAQ anticipates daytime construction. Distance, duration, and a project-specific receptor model are not supplied.

Sources [5]

Indigenous context

Data centre projects sit within treaty territories and places with longstanding First Nations and Métis connections. This section brings together the public record on treaty geography, Indigenous ownership, consultation, and community concerns. Treaty boundaries alone cannot tell us which communities may be affected or how they view a project.

ADCW context

Treaty geography

Treaty 7 territory

Geography does not establish project-specific consultation, consent, or community positions.

Sources [9]

Approval and public process

Residents should distinguish the ongoing area-plan review from the County's separate decisions on rezoning and development permits.

Public record

How residents can participate

County engagement planned for late September 2026

The County has published its initial sector report and invites residents to follow the engagement page. This process concerns future policy, not approval of Wild Rose or a project-specific hearing date.

Sources [8]
ADCW context

Planning status

Review continues

The County's project page describes a future Council public hearing. No final area-plan adoption or development permit was located in this review.

Sources [1]
Public record

Rezoning pause

New S-DAT decisions paused

On July 21, 2026, Council paused decisions on rezoning to the Special, Data Centre district pending a new framework. This is a separate step from preparing an area plan; it is not a rejection of Wild Rose.

Sources [3]
Public record

Permit decisions

Council discretion

The July changes let Council approve or refuse data-centre permits in the S-DAT district. They do not themselves rezone this site.

Sources [3]
Public record

Costs and environmental review

Studies required

The terms of reference require fiscal, transportation, servicing, and environmental screening studies. The developer must fund the planning work, including County staff costs; that does not establish who pays every construction or operating cost.

Sources [2]

Timeline

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

  1. Public record

    Council approved terms of reference for preparing the area structure plan. [1]

  2. Public record

    Applicant-led open house date published by the County; this was not a Council approval hearing. [1]

  3. Public record

    Council changed data-centre permit rules and paused new S-DAT rezoning decisions. [3]

  4. Public record

    AESO lists both requested load stages with in-service dates under review. [7]

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.

  • Final area-plan adoption, rezoning, a development permit, and a confirmed construction schedule.
  • The off-site supply project, approved connection, backup equipment, and emissions.
  • Total water demand, supply and wastewater agreements, and approved drainage design.
  • Sound predictions at nearby communities, mitigation, and monitoring commitments.
  • Reconciled job estimates, binding local benefits, and final public-infrastructure costs.
  • Completed environmental studies and a project-specific Indigenous consultation record.

Source record

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

  1. Wild Rose Power Hub Area Structure Plan

    Rocky View County · Municipal record · Accessed 2026-09-11

  2. Wild Rose terms of reference

    Rocky View County · Municipal record · Approved 2025-07-08

  3. Council Decisions: July 21, 2026

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

  4. Wild Rose Data Center: jobs and infrastructure

    Wild Rose Data Center · Company disclosure · Accessed 2026-09-11

  5. Wild Rose project FAQ

    BHE Canada / Wild Rose Data Center · Company disclosure · Accessed 2026-09-11

  6. Wild Rose Power Hub

    Government of Alberta Major Projects · Government database · Accessed 2026-09-11

  7. Connection Project Reporting: September 2026 list, P3108

    Alberta Electric System Operator · Regulator · 2026-09-01

  8. Data Centres and the Emerging Sector Strategy

    Rocky View County · Municipal record · Accessed 2026-09-11

  9. Treaty Boundary dataset

    Government of Canada Open Government Portal · Government database · Modified 2026-06-29