Map / Provinces / AB

Alberta

AESO (Alberta Electric System Operator); Alberta Utilities Commission is the regulator

Courting load loudly while the near-term connection queue is already spoken for.

Publishes a project-level list. Yes, genuinely project-level and unusually granular. Parsed from the July 2026 file (219 rows). Columns are: Status, Project Name, Planning Area, Cluster, Project Type, MW Type, Stage, CA Modelled, Inclusion, Applied On, then three staged energization blocks (EN1/EN2/EN3) each with STS MW (generation), DTS MW (load) and ISD (in-service date).

The record

Operator detail

AESO (Alberta Electric System Operator), confirmed. AESO is the independent system operator that accepts System Access Service Requests (SASRs), runs the AESO Connection Process, and executes the Rate DTS (Demand Transmission Service) contract that is the actual grid connection right. AESO is the gatekeeper for a large load.

Route to power

Baseline process (all loads): submit a System Access Service Request (SASR) with attachments to AESO through Adobe Workfront, requesting contract capacity under Rate DTS of the ISO Tariff. Loads take the Independent Assessment stream (the Cluster Assessment stream is for generation/storage >=5 MW). On acceptance the project is assigned a P-number and appears on the monthly Connection Project List. Execution follows one of three project types: Connection Project (new/altered transmission facilities), Behind the Fence (BTF) Project, or Contract Project. Construction contributions are set under Sections 4 and 5 of the ISO Tariff.

Typical timeline

AESO does not publish a headline "application to energization" figure. The most reliable public evidence is the AESO Connection Project List's own Applied On and ISD fields for the two projects that actually cleared Phase I: - P2936 GLDC Load Phase 1.1, SASR applied 14 May 2024; first energization (60 MW) ISD 1 May 2027 (~3.0 years); second energization (910 MW) ISD 1 Sept 2030 (~6.3 years).

Binding constraint

Alberta is the source of the 1,200 MW interim cap, and it is fully allocated and now superseded. Sequence: AESO rolled out Large Load Integration Phase I on 4 June 2025 with a 1,200 MW interim large load connection limit. 15 projects from 5 developers (4,800 MW) qualified; 1,200 MW was assigned to 2 projects from 2 developers; contracts executed October 2025 (deadline extended from 4 August to allow developers to assess the new provincial levy). Final result: P2936 GLDC Load 970 MW and P3083 Keephills Data Centre Phase I 230 MW. Nothing else received firm grid capacity.

Behind the fence

Yes, and Alberta has deliberately made this the preferred route, but "behind the fence" splits into three quite different things. (a) Fully off-grid self-supply. Permitted. Section 2(1)(b) of the Electric Utilities Act exempts electricity generated on property owned or leased by a person and consumed exclusively by that person on that property; March 2024 amendments confirmed surplus may be exported to the grid and that AESO tariff charges may apply.

Interconnection

AESO runs a single connection process for transmission-connected loads; there is no separate large-load queue publication like a US ISO interconnection queue, but AESO created one for data centres specifically in 2025. On 2025-06-04 AESO capped near-term transmission capacity for large loads (75 MW+, 2027-28 in-service) at 1,200 MW and allocated it pro rata in a Phase I 'Limit Assignment Process.' That 1,200 MW is now fully allocated to two projects (confirmed via live fetch of AESO's own Large Load Projects page: P2936 GLDC Load, 970 MW, and P3083 Keephills Data Centre Phase I, 230 MW) against roughly 20 GW of requests still in the system. Phase II, covering everyone else, is being designed around a bring-your-own-generation (BYOG) model with no committed connection date.

Tariff

No dedicated retail data centre tariff has been finalized; policy direction (Bill 8, Utilities Statutes Amendment Act, 2025) is to make data centre load bear its own system-impact costs and to favour self-generation over grid draw, backed by a hardware levy that is lower for self-generating and zero for off-grid projects. Confirm current Bill 8 assent date and levy legislation date directly against Alberta Queen's Printer before relying on this for a filing.

Years to grid power

n/a for new entrants until Phase II framework is finalized; 4-6 for the two Phase I projects already allocated capacity

Years behind the fence

2-4

Basis for those years

Grid figure: AESO's Phase I cap (1,200 MW) was fully allocated to two projects by late 2025 for 2027-28 in-service dates (AESO Large Load Projects page, live-confirmed); everyone else waits on Phase II rules with no published timeline as of AESO's 2026-06-26 Proposed BYOG Process notice. BTF figure: AESO is actively building a BYOG connection pathway as the default route for load beyond the interim cap; AUC approval and emissions permitting still apply.

Dated events

• 2026-08-18 AUC oral hearing commences (9 a.m., virtual) on the Indus Project Thermal Power Plant, Proceeding 30524: 1,494 MW of natural gas thermal generation supplying about 1,200 MW to co-located on-site data halls in Rocky View County. With the Heartland application below, these are the first gigawatt-class power plant applications of Alberta's bring-your-own-generation era to reach hearing. Status on the run date: under review.
• 2026-08-16 AUC written hearing under way on the Heartland Project Thermal Power Plant, Proceeding 30518: 920 MW total capability supplying about 800 MW to co-located on-site data halls in Sturgeon County, filed under the Hydro and Electric Energy Act. The posted schedule ran to the applicant's final written reply evidence on 2026-08-04; no disposition has been posted. Status on the run date: under review.
• 2026-12-31 Scheduled coming-into-force of the Alberta data centre levy: a 2% levy on computer hardware for grid-connected data centres drawing 75 MW or more, reduced to 1% for data centres connected to the grid but generating their own power, with off-grid data centres paying no levy at all. The levy takes effect December 31, 2026 and is fully creditable against Alberta corporate income tax, so once a data centre becomes profitable and pays corporate tax the levy has no net effect on its tax burden.
• 2026-07-15 AESO posts Consolidated Stakeholder Feedback on the proposed BYOG process; final process rollout targeted for August 2026, first intake anticipated late 2026, with Phase 2B (ISO tariff) and Phase 2C (grid partners) consultations to follow.
• 2026-06-26 AESO publishes the Proposed BYOG Process (following a 24 June 2026 industry session): ~6-week intakes roughly every nine months, C$15,000/MW DTS commitment, 3–6 month connection studies, tethered gas-fired generation sized to full demand, 1,600 MW system-wide…
• 2026-06-12 AESO publishes the Guide to AESO Connection Requirements for Transmission-Connected Data Centres.
• 2026-06-09 Data Centre Regulation, AR 117/2026, filed under the Electric Utilities Act, defines large data centres as transmission-connected loads requesting 75 MW or more of DTS and codifies bring-your-own-generation/tethering. It also lets the AESO lower the 75 MW threshold if needed, and lets the AESO aggregate two or more data centres under 75 MW that are co-located and share some ownership affiliation, considering them together as one data centre.
• 2026-04-21 AESO posts the LLWG-2A BYOG Draft Front-End Process to AESO Engage.
• 2026-01-15 Government of Canada launches a call for proposals for sovereign large-scale AI data centres above 100 MW, with successful proponents eligible to enter an MOU with the federal government.
• 2025-12-11 Royal assent to Bill 8, Utilities Statutes Amendment Act, 2025, on December 11, 2025. The act is intended to encourage data centres to bring their own generation to support their connection to Alberta's electricity grid, and to align with a cost-causation framework for transmission under which data centres, not Alberta ratepayers, pay for necessary transmission upgrades.

Tracked projects

Announced capacity is what the proponent has stated. Energized capacity is what is drawing. They are different figures and are never summed. How the figures reconcile.

Sources

• AESO — Connection Project Reporting (monthly Connection Project List, dashboard, GIS map) fetched 2026-08-01; latest list published 2026-07-02
• AESO — July 2026 Connection Project List (.xlsx, downloaded and parsed: 219 rows, 41 'Data Load' projects, ~19,565 MW requested DTS) 2026-07-02
• AESO Connection Project List Guide v1.5 (column definitions: Status, Project Number/Name, Planning Area, Cluster, Project Type, MW Type, Stage, CA Modelled, Inclusion, Applied On, EN1–EN3 STS MW / DTS MW / ISD) 2025-02-25
• AESO — Large Load Projects (Phase 1 results: P2936 GLDC Load 970 MW, P3083 Keephills Data Centre Phase I 230 MW; Phase 2A scope) fetched 2026-08-01
• AESO Update on Data Centres (September 2025) — 20.7 GW requested, Phase I Qualify/Assign/Finalize results, Phase II scope and timeline 2025-09-26
• AESO Engage — Phase 2A: Large Load Integration | BYOG Process (document register with posting dates) fetched 2026-08-01; documents dated 2025-11-05 to 2026-07-15
• AESO — Connecting to the Grid (SASR via Adobe Workfront; Cluster vs Independent Assessment; Connection / Behind the Fence / Contract project types; ISO Tariff Sections 4 and 5) fetched 2026-08-01
• AESO — Guide to AESO Connection Requirements for Transmission-Connected Data Centres 2026-06-12
• Osler — Alberta's data centre regulations: guidance on power generation for large load facilities (AR 117/2026, 75 MW threshold, tethering, 1,600 MW bridging, $15,000/MW, AUC approves ISO rules) 2026-06-30
• BLG — Data centre regulation in Alberta: key considerations (Bill 8, Bill 12 levy, Phase I/II, Canada–Alberta MOU, federal call for proposals) 2026-07-08
• AESO Engage — Phase 2A: Large Load Integration | BYOG Process (document register checked: most recent process document is still the June 26 2026 “Proposed BYOG Process”; no final process, no open intake) checked 2026-08-16
• AESO — homepage news feed (no final-BYOG or intake item; most recent relevant post is the August 2026 Connection Project List, 2026-08-05) checked 2026-08-16
• Bennett Jones — Alberta's BYOG framework (“Final process published and intake opens: late July/early August 2026”; initial intake expected later in 2026) 2026-07-09
• AUC — Featured applications (runtime status check for Proceedings 30524 and 30518: both “Under review”) 2026-08-16

Known gaps. 1. The final BYOG process had still not been published as of a check on 2026-08-16, and no intake had opened. AESO Engage's Phase 2A document register still shows the June 26 2026 “Proposed BYOG Process” as the most recent process document, with the July 15 2026 Consolidated Stakeholder Feedback posted after it and nothing since. AESO's own homepage news feed carries no final-BYOG or intake-opening item; its most recent relevant post is the August 2026 Connection Project List, published 2026-08-05. Legal commentary dated 2026-07-09 had the final process published and intake opening in late July or early August 2026, with the initial intake expected to start later in 2026; that target has now passed without publication. Treat all BYOG mechanics quoted on this card (six-week intake, nine-month cadence, C$15,000/MW, 1,600 MW bridging, gas-only tethering, three-year bridging limit) as the Proposed design, not confirmed final rules. Checked 2026-08-16.

Record updated 2026-08-16. Sources reviewed 2026-08-16. Corrections: sam@mccordinvestments.com