An aerial photo shows the site of a proposed AI data centre near Wabasca. – Armaan Khanna, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Municipal District of Opportunity council has voted to sign a procedural engagement form for a proposed natural gas power plant and data centre in Wabasca, despite acknowledging community hesitation.

During their Aug. 24 meeting, Councillor Brendan Powell made a motion to approve a staff recommendation to fill out and return the Alberta Utilities Commission municipal engagement form. The motion was carried unanimously.

The document confirms the Armada-Nowlit Hoole Natural Gas Power Generation Facility aligns with local development plans and zoning bylaws.

The proposed development would sit on 11.9 acres at the former Tidewater natural gas plant, about 4.6 kilometres from downtown Wabasca.

While the project is advancing through provincial regulatory steps, some councillors noted there is public pushback surrounding data centres.

“We’re getting a lot of people talking negatively against data centres,” a councillor said during the meeting.

However, administration provided details to ease concerns about the facility’s environmental footprint.

The project is split into two phases and will eventually house nine enclosed generators and nine data centres with cooling fans.

According to the project summary provided to council, the site will not require a continuous water supply for cooling. The facility uses a closed-loop system with a 50-50 mix of water and glycol. The entire system will use a total of 4,500 to 9,000 litres of water annually for initial fills and will require additional occasional top-ups.

For comparison, the administration noted that an average Canadian household uses about 335 litres of water per person, per day.

Noise levels are also projected to stay within provincial limits. The facility is expected to generate a maximum nighttime noise level of 35.6 decibels, which sits below the 40-decibel limit set by the Alberta Utilities Commission.

Councillor Darlene Jackson said the municipality needs to take the lead on communicating these facts to the public, noting that the site sits on municipal land, not on the nearby Bigstone Cree Nation reserve.

“We are responsible for letting people know,” Jackson said.

Armada-Nowlit plans to host a community open house in the hamlet to share more information and address local concerns.

Chad Tullis, chief administrative officer, said the open house will be scheduled once the company receives its initial approvals from the Alberta Utilities Commission.

Council also discussed the timing of the open house, noting that upcoming elections for the Bigstone Cree Nation could make community engagement complicated if the event is held too soon.

“It’s difficult to do a community engagement right on the cusp of an election,” a councillor said.

BOSS Construction has already been engaged to help clean up the existing gas plant site. The completed facility is expected to bring short-term construction jobs and permanent positions for long-term plant operations.

By Armaan Khanna, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Original Published on Sep 02, 2026 at 15:00

 

This item reprinted with permission from   Lakeside Leader   Slave Lake, Alberta

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