AI project setback: Olds mayor, resident voice views on AUC denial
Posted Aug 19, 2026 10:55 am.
Last Updated Aug 19, 2026 11:02 am.
A major hurdle for a proposed data centre at the town of Olds in central Alberta comes as relief for some, but a missed opportunity for others.
The Alberta Utilities Commission has rejected construction of a natural gas power plant that would fuel a proposed $10-billion data centre, a project that the town’s mayor was supporting.
“It would have been a substantial increase to our tax base, for sure, also the opportunity for employment,” Dan Daley told CityNews.
However, in it’s ruling the AUC stated the project was too close to where people live and that the company didn’t supply a good enough reason for building it in a location close to Olds.
A social media group formed in opposition to the Synapse Real Estate Corp. complex believes the noise produced would be “astronomical.”
“(The project’s denial) is both a massive win, not just for myself but for our entire community,” says Bek MacIntosh, founder of Little Town Big Data.
But MacIntosh says she would be willing to accept the project under different conditions.
“If this was done in a heavy industrial location, possibly as a co-location within existing industry that already exists with extreme setbacks to communities within the region and proper regulatory oversight, I do believe that there could be an avenue for industrial growth to be done effectively,” Macintosh says.
Olds’ mayor says the town also wants the best for it’s residents.
“As long as it was built responsibly and safely, and didn’t disrupt our lifestyle of our citizens, we were all for it.”
Despite the AUC rejection, the project may not be dead as Synapse has options including an appeal of the AUC decision or possibly moving to another location.
