Rebecca MacIntosh/YouTube
Alberta’s utility regulator has granted intervener status to more than 680 individuals in the small town of Olds, writing that they may be directly and adversely affected by its decision on a proposed 1.4-gigawatt (GW) power plant and data centre within the town limits.
In a June 16 ruling, the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) also extended [pd] its usual 2,000-metres rule [pdf], which limits notification and consultation, to include anyone living in Olds. It cited the “potential strain on municipal services, the proximity to residential areas, impacts to property values, increased noise, agricultural impacts, negative health effects, and effects on the environment.”
All of those individuals are eligible to be reimbursed for any legal or consultation costs, according to the letter from Commission Counsel Taylor Campbell.
The AUC has not estimated the cost of fulfilling that promise, a representative told The Energy Mix. The AUC acts as an adjudicator for the reimbursement of costs, which must be covered [pdf] by the Quebec-based company, Synapse Real Estate Corp, that announced the $10-billion project in January. Applicants are required to follow the AUC’s payment decisions, which are assessed after the proceeding ends.
“The Commission considers whether participation contributed to a better understanding of the issues and whether efforts were made to avoid duplication,” said the AUC representative. “For example, by using shared experts rather than multiple individual reports.”
The regulator’s operations are funded entirely through an administrative fee paid by regulated utilities and market participants. “There is no direct government funding,” but staffing levels must be approved by the provincial government, the representative told The Mix, adding that staffing levels have “remained stable.”
An April, 2025 letter from AUC chief executive Robert D. Heggie lists the commission’s budgeted administration fee for 2025-2026 at $34.27 million, an increase [pdf] of $1.6 million from the previous year.
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Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish did not reply to questions about the province’s artificial intelligence (AI) data centre strategy and whether there would be increased costs to ratepayers for bring-your-own power plants, referring The Mix to the AUC for answers. The AUC did not address the strategy in its response.
“Albertans are being asked to shoulder the risks and costs of major data centre projects without a clear plan, framework, or basic safeguards from this government,” Kyle Kasawski, the Alberta NDP’s shadow minister for affordability and utilities, said in a statement.
“Whether it’s environmental oversight, community consultation, or who ultimately pays, the UCP is leaving too many unanswered questions,” he said, adding that the NDP “welcomes economic development opportunities under the right circumstances.”
Kasawski said the AUC is “doing its job, and we appreciate all of the Albertans who have shared their views on this project,” but “Albertans shouldn’t be left paying the bill for a government that refuses to do its homework.”
More than 1,100 statements of intent to participate in the Olds hearing landed with the regulator, making it possibly the largest number ever received for a single project. From those hundreds of submissions, the AUC issued its decision on June 16 outlining who is most affected and granting them “standing” in the hearing process, meaning they can give evidence, question witnesses, and provide arguments.
The Town of Olds and Olds Residents for Responsible Development (ORRD), a group formed to represent the interests of people affected by the data centre, have both also been granted full standing in the application process. Another 475 participants were denied standing based on criteria including their proximity to the project.
Olds Mayor Dan Daley did not respond to The Mix’s questions about whether the Town could have done more to address residents’ concerns about the project. Nor did he indicate what consultation the province undertook with municipalities about the AI data centre strategy, or the possible costs to ratepayers of an AUC hearing of this magnitude.
Commission Counsel Campbell encouraged people with standing to join ORRD or form their own group to “reduce duplication of submissions and costs, and support an efficient hearing process.” She also suggested interveners find “legal representation or other specialized assistance to help them participate.”
In a separate letter on June 16, Lead Application Officer Victor Choy wrote that the AUC had decided to suspend [pdf] the current schedule for the proceeding “to support a more efficient process that is focused and reduces duplication of effort.”
But the AUC representative said “the proceeding itself has not been paused,” and the commission continues to review the application and the evidence.
Jasona Rondeau, a registered observer of the Synapse proceeding and a social advocate helping Olds residents navigate the AUC hearing, said the suspension of the schedule is “a reflection of the large number of interveners and the potential costs that could be incurred for such a large group with such a diverse range of issues.”
“If the AUC had let the interveners proceed to filing information requests for so many people, it could result in significant expenses incurred by both legal and expert witnesses, not to mention the time and energy it will require to review what could be hundreds of questions,” said Rondeau.
Synapse Real Estate Corp has responded [pdf] to the AUC’s first 26 issues, which included questions about zoning, back-up diesel generators, battery storage, water usage, public consultation, noise, air quality, public benefits, and emergency response. Choy said the regulator is preparing more questions.
The suspension was needed to “consider the use of intervener budgets and scoping of the proceeding,” and allow time to consider Synapse’s responses, he wrote.
Choy asked the interveners to delay drafting information requests and preparing evidence for now. After the regulator submits its second round of questions, which he said will be provided “in due course,” and receives a response from Synapse, it will outline a schedule. He gave assurances that the hundreds of local interveners would be provided sufficient time to review the information.
Rondeau said the second round of questions “should serve to reduce the number of intervener questions coming forward,” adding that “it is a signal that they are not rushing this application by any means.”
This is Synapse’s second application for a power plant after its first attempt was closed on March 6 due to “significant deficiencies”. Synapse CEO Jason van Gaal did not immediately respond to questions about his company’s public involvement program, the costs of the AUC application proceeding, or the changes to the hearing schedule.
Synapse had prepared a public information package with plans [pdf] to begin construction this past March, with power plant approvals in place by July and completion of construction by May, 2027.
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Rebecca MacIntosh/YouTube
Alberta’s utility regulator has granted intervener status to more than 680 individuals in the small town of Olds, writing that they may be directly and adversely affected by its decision on a proposed 1.4-gigawatt (GW) power plant and data centre within the town limits.
In a June 16 ruling, the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) also extended [pd] its usual 2,000-metres rule [pdf], which limits notification and consultation, to include anyone living in Olds. It cited the “potential strain on municipal services, the proximity to residential areas, impacts to property values, increased noise, agricultural impacts, negative health effects, and effects on the environment.”
All of those individuals are eligible to be reimbursed for any legal or consultation costs, according to the letter from Commission Counsel Taylor Campbell.
The AUC has not estimated the cost of fulfilling that promise, a representative told The Energy Mix. The AUC acts as an adjudicator for the reimbursement of costs, which must be covered [pdf] by the Quebec-based company, Synapse Real Estate Corp, that announced the $10-billion project in January. Applicants are required to follow the AUC’s payment decisions, which are assessed after the proceeding ends.
“The Commission considers whether participation contributed to a better understanding of the issues and whether efforts were made to avoid duplication,” said the AUC representative. “For example, by using shared experts rather than multiple individual reports.”
The regulator’s operations are funded entirely through an administrative fee paid by regulated utilities and market participants. “There is no direct government funding,” but staffing levels must be approved by the provincial government, the representative told The Mix, adding that staffing levels have “remained stable.”
An April, 2025 letter from AUC chief executive Robert D. Heggie lists the commission’s budgeted administration fee for 2025-2026 at $34.27 million, an increase [pdf] of $1.6 million from the previous year.
View our latest digests
Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish did not reply to questions about the province’s artificial intelligence (AI) data centre strategy and whether there would be increased costs to ratepayers for bring-your-own power plants, referring The Mix to the AUC for answers. The AUC did not address the strategy in its response.
“Albertans are being asked to shoulder the risks and costs of major data centre projects without a clear plan, framework, or basic safeguards from this government,” Kyle Kasawski, the Alberta NDP’s shadow minister for affordability and utilities, said in a statement.
“Whether it’s environmental oversight, community consultation, or who ultimately pays, the UCP is leaving too many unanswered questions,” he said, adding that the NDP “welcomes economic development opportunities under the right circumstances.”
Kasawski said the AUC is “doing its job, and we appreciate all of the Albertans who have shared their views on this project,” but “Albertans shouldn’t be left paying the bill for a government that refuses to do its homework.”
More than 1,100 statements of intent to participate in the Olds hearing landed with the regulator, making it possibly the largest number ever received for a single project. From those hundreds of submissions, the AUC issued its decision on June 16 outlining who is most affected and granting them “standing” in the hearing process, meaning they can give evidence, question witnesses, and provide arguments.
The Town of Olds and Olds Residents for Responsible Development (ORRD), a group formed to represent the interests of people affected by the data centre, have both also been granted full standing in the application process. Another 475 participants were denied standing based on criteria including their proximity to the project.
Olds Mayor Dan Daley did not respond to The Mix’s questions about whether the Town could have done more to address residents’ concerns about the project. Nor did he indicate what consultation the province undertook with municipalities about the AI data centre strategy, or the possible costs to ratepayers of an AUC hearing of this magnitude.
Commission Counsel Campbell encouraged people with standing to join ORRD or form their own group to “reduce duplication of submissions and costs, and support an efficient hearing process.” She also suggested interveners find “legal representation or other specialized assistance to help them participate.”
In a separate letter on June 16, Lead Application Officer Victor Choy wrote that the AUC had decided to suspend [pdf] the current schedule for the proceeding “to support a more efficient process that is focused and reduces duplication of effort.”
But the AUC representative said “the proceeding itself has not been paused,” and the commission continues to review the application and the evidence.
Jasona Rondeau, a registered observer of the Synapse proceeding and a social advocate helping Olds residents navigate the AUC hearing, said the suspension of the schedule is “a reflection of the large number of interveners and the potential costs that could be incurred for such a large group with such a diverse range of issues.”
“If the AUC had let the interveners proceed to filing information requests for so many people, it could result in significant expenses incurred by both legal and expert witnesses, not to mention the time and energy it will require to review what could be hundreds of questions,” said Rondeau.
Synapse Real Estate Corp has responded [pdf] to the AUC’s first 26 issues, which included questions about zoning, back-up diesel generators, battery storage, water usage, public consultation, noise, air quality, public benefits, and emergency response. Choy said the regulator is preparing more questions.
The suspension was needed to “consider the use of intervener budgets and scoping of the proceeding,” and allow time to consider Synapse’s responses, he wrote.
Choy asked the interveners to delay drafting information requests and preparing evidence for now. After the regulator submits its second round of questions, which he said will be provided “in due course,” and receives a response from Synapse, it will outline a schedule. He gave assurances that the hundreds of local interveners would be provided sufficient time to review the information.
Rondeau said the second round of questions “should serve to reduce the number of intervener questions coming forward,” adding that “it is a signal that they are not rushing this application by any means.”
This is Synapse’s second application for a power plant after its first attempt was closed on March 6 due to “significant deficiencies”. Synapse CEO Jason van Gaal did not immediately respond to questions about his company’s public involvement program, the costs of the AUC application proceeding, or the changes to the hearing schedule.
Synapse had prepared a public information package with plans [pdf] to begin construction this past March, with power plant approvals in place by July and completion of construction by May, 2027.
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