$1.3B power plant and data centre project moves forward north of Swan Hills
Teton Digital is developing the Black Bear Power Project, a natural gas facility with 1,500 acres for data centres, about 200 km northwest of Edmonton.
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A $1.3 billion power generation and data centre project is taking shape about 200 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, near Swan Hills, marking another major infrastructure bet on the region's appeal to technology companies.
The Black Bear Power Project, developed by Teton Digital, will anchor a natural gas combined-cycle power plant with an initial capacity of 466 megawatts, situated approximately 19 kilometres south of Swan Hills. Alongside it sits 1,500 acres of adjacent Crown land reserved for data centre development, with potential total capacity across the site reaching approximately 3 gigawatts.
Teton Digital is positioning the site as a strategic hub. "Black Bear sits squarely between Edmonton's growing retail load, Grande Prairie's industrial expansion, and the oil sands — the center of a transmission corridor that needs far more generation than it has," the company states. Regional power demand waiting to connect outpaces new supply by roughly 30 per cent, and the site holds the lowest connection fee in Alberta.
The timeline is aggressive: data centre operations could begin as early as 2027 using grid electricity as temporary power before the plant itself comes online in 2028. The project was originally proposed in 2024 by Kiwetinohk Energy before Teton Digital took over development.
The company's pitch emphasizes the location's natural advantages: relatively low-cost natural gas, a cold continental climate suited to data centre cooling, abundant water, and already inexpensive electricity. For context, Meta announced plans in July for a $13 billion AI data centre in Sturgeon County north of Edmonton, signalling the province's broader ambitions to compete for technology infrastructure investment. Alberta has been actively marketing cheap natural gas to lure data centre operators.
The Black Bear project announcement does not yet provide information on environmental assessments, regulatory approval status, local community response, or expected employment numbers.
What regulatory approvals remain before construction can begin?
How many permanent jobs is the project expected to create once operational?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
What is the Black Bear Power Project?
The Black Bear Power Project is a $1.3 billion facility developed by Teton Digital near Swan Hills, about 200 km northwest of Edmonton, consisting of a natural gas combined-cycle power plant with an initial capacity of 466 megawatts and 1,500 acres of adjacent Crown land reserved for data centre development.
When could operations begin at Black Bear?
Data centre operations could begin as early as 2027 using grid electricity as temporary power, while the power plant itself is expected to come online in 2028.
What was the original developer of this project?
Kiwetinohk Energy originally proposed the project in 2024 before Teton Digital took over development.
