Calgary Company Unveils ‘Energy Campus’ Concept to Solve Data Barriers in Alberta

A Calgary-based organization recently revealed the completion of environmental studies as it works toward building an energy campus in Alberta.

Net Zero Now says that this first energy campus site, at 320 acres, was selected to meet specific infrastructure requirements.

Founded in 2023, the company wants to build “the infrastructure backbone of Canada’s digital future” through a network of energy campuses that enable the co-location of electricity generation and compute load, accelerating access to projects with low-cost electricity and net zero carbon emissions.

“We’re giving hyperscale operators the ability to directly connect through a co-located energy campus, or contract with our energy campus virtually through the electricity grid in order to bring their own generation online and serve a pre-existing site,” says Scott Martin, Head of Energy at Net Zero.

Net Zero Now’s inaugural energy campus will be constructed using “net zero building techniques” such as advanced insulation systems, sustainable materials, and energy-efficient construction practices, according to a statement from the firm.

Once completed, the site will offer a fast-to-market and low-cost electricity supply solution that includes 400MW of base load electricity generation, power quality services, backup supply, and an accompanying data centre campus.

Net Zero Now hopes its campus concept will solve a recently imposed constraint (which not everyone is pleased with) in Canada’s fastest-growing data centre market: Data centres are applying for far more more load capacity than the Alberta Electric System Operator is willing to provide.

“As the AESO’s large-load interconnection queue grew exponentially, we recognized the need for a fundamentally different approach to powering these large loads,” says Martin.

Logan Downing, Head of Carbon Strategy at Net Zero, believes that province will become “a top-tier global data center market” in “the near future as investors and operators look at the favourable electricity cost, tax environment, and foreign exchange rate that comes with doing business in Alberta.”

“Many data centre operators are reluctant to enter a new market due to a lack of electricity supply, local contacts, or regulatory experience,” he says, but “We provide fully-permitted construction-ready energy campuses that enable speed-to-market, low-cost electricity supply, and a best-in-class carbon intensity to accelerate Alberta’s position in the rapidly growing AI industry.”