Yellowhead County council recently received further details about a data processing centre proposed about 40 kilometres southwest of Edson.
Representatives from Emerald Energy, a subsidiary of Tourmaline Energy, gave a presentation to council during its regular meeting on June 23.
According to the presentation, the data processing facility would be independent from the local grid by utilizing natural gas for power generation. The company also says its closed-loop cooling system would minimize water use and maximize energy efficiency.
Emerald Energy says it has six water sources to draw from to supply that closed-loop system: the Embarras and McLeod Rivers, deep and shallow groundwater, power plant recycling and carbon capture byproducts.
Reportedly, for every one litre of water withdrawn from the environment, approximately 1.5 litres would be returned. Tourmaline Energy officials explain that this would be possible through a carbon capture component proposed in the project.
The proposed carbon capture and storage system is intended to safely secure carbon dioxide about one to four kilometres underground. A “wet flue gas mixture” emitted from the facility would be combined with a loaded solvent, which, when heated, separates carbon dioxide for storage. Water is also a byproduct of this system, which company officials say reduces the freshwater requirements of the facility.
Officials also note, the largest water demand for the project would be to run steam turbines to support the carbon capture process, rather than to cool the data centre.
Details of a proposed data centre build in Yellowhead County, featuring a carbon capture system. (Emerald Energy Technologies/Yellowhead County council agenda June 23, 2026)
Details of a proposed data centre build in Yellowhead County, featuring supporting power generation and carbon capture facilities. (Emerald Energy Technologies/Yellowhead County council agenda June 23, 2026)
The project would be completed in three phases, with one Gigawatt of power creation expected to be ready by 2030. The facility’s lifespan is estimated to be a minimum of 30 years.
If approved, Emerald Energy says the data centre construction would create 300-500 temporary jobs and 300-700 permanent jobs to support 24-7 operations. Constructing the supporting power facilities would reportedly create 500-1,000 temporary construction jobs, with 40-60 full-time positions available for operations.
Construction would begin in 2027, with operating jobs anticipated to begin in 2028.
The company also says the county would gain a large commercial taxpayer that would contribute at least $11.4 million to the tax base starting in 2029.
