Data Center Atlas
Synapse Data Center (Olds)
Proposed
Canada · 1 project · Last reported
Summary
Synapse Real Estate Corp. proposed a 1 GW AI data centre in the Town of Olds, Alberta, at the northeast corner of Highways 2A and 27, to be the sole user of a 1.4 GW on-site combined-cycle gas plant. The Alberta Utilities Commission rejected a first, deficient plant application in March 2026, and on 17 August 2026 it denied the application in proceeding 30732, finding the site unsuitable for the development. An environmental approval application with Alberta's environment ministry was still listed as in progress, and no development permit had been filed with the town.
Source record as of 2026-10-09 · Details and sources
Location
The interactive map needs JavaScript. Display anchor: 51.79278, -114.10667 (Point locator, WGS 84).
View location: OpenStreetMap · Google Maps · Bing aerial · Copernicus Browser
Town or locality reference only; the facility position is not established.
Projects (1)
Synapse Data Center (Olds)
Proposed last observed as of · Reported status
Location: Olds (northeast corner of Highways 2A and 27), Alberta, CA. Town coordinates from the Olds Wikipedia page. The developer places the site in the town's industrial area at the northeast corner of Highways 2A and 27 (SW and NW quarters of Section 4-33-1-W5M). Synapse Real Estate Corp. (hosted by the Town of Olds); Wikipedia
Use: Ai unspecified
Capacity, investment and other figures
| Measure | Value | Scope | As of | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power capacity | 1,000 MW | Planned · Campus · Unspecified | 2026-03-09 | Data centre size; the sources do not say whether this is IT or total facility load. | Synapse Real Estate Corp. (hosted by the Town of Olds); The Logic |
| Power capacity | 1,400 MW | Planned · Campus · Onsite generation | 2026-01-27 | Proposed natural gas-fired plant using combined-cycle gas turbines on about 10% of the site. | Synapse Real Estate Corp. (hosted by the Town of Olds) |
| Jobs construction | 2,000 count | Planned · Campus | 2026-01-27 | Synapse Real Estate Corp. (hosted by the Town of Olds) | |
| Jobs permanent | at least 1,000 count | Planned · Campus | 2026-01-27 | Synapse Real Estate Corp. (hosted by the Town of Olds) |
Companies and organizations
| Name | Role | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synapse Real Estate Corp. | Developer | Synapse Real Estate Corp. (hosted by the Town of Olds); Town of Olds; The Logic | |
| Town of Olds | Government | Registered as an intervener in the AUC proceeding, commissioned peer reviews of the air quality and noise studies and filed a statement of concern on the environmental application. | Town of Olds |
Timeline
| Date | Event | Actual or planned | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01 | Announced | Actual | Synapse began public engagement in late January 2026 with a project information package for neighbours. | Synapse Real Estate Corp. (hosted by the Town of Olds) |
| 2026-03 | Other | Actual | Reported on 9 March 2026: the AUC rejected the first power plant application, citing inadequate consultation, an environmental report that looked unfinished and signs that not all planned generating equipment was included. | The Logic |
| 2026-08-17 | Other | Actual | AUC denied the power generation application in proceeding 30732, finding the site unsuitable for the proposed development. | Town of Olds |
Power supply
| Type | Description | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas onsite | A proposed 1.4 GW combined-cycle gas plant on site, with the data centre as the sole consumer of its output; the AUC denied the plant application in August 2026. | Synapse Real Estate Corp. (hosted by the Town of Olds); Town of Olds |
Status stays proposed rather than paused: the August 2026 AUC denial covers the power plant application, and no source reports Synapse halting, withdrawing or appealing the project. It rests on the Town of Olds' undated engagement page, read 2026-10-09, which reports the AUC denial of 17 August 2026 and an Alberta environmental (EPEA) application still in progress. After the first rejection Synapse said it intended to reapply; no response to the August decision was found. The AUC regulates the power plant, not the data centre itself. The developer called it a multi-billion dollar investment without giving a figure.
Sources for these details
- Synapse Data Center Project Information Package — Synapse Real Estate Corp. (hosted by the Town of Olds); 2026-01-27
- Current Data Centre Projects in Olds — Town of Olds; publication date not stated
- Alberta regulator rejects proposal for massive data centre in Olds over deficient application — The Logic; 2026-03-09
- Olds, Alberta — Wikipedia; publication date not stated
- Companies
Source and location review
- Status source
- Current Data Centre Projects in Olds evidence row
Town of Olds · publication date not stated · Government record - Locator
- Locality reference only · Compiled location reference · locality evidence
- Source checks
Not reviewed against imagery not_
reviewed
No imagery review is recorded for this project. Its status rests only on the dated authoritative source. · no independent imagery verificationStatus age at review: 18 days before the data update on 2026-10-27
Location details
- Coordinates
- 51.79278, -114.10667
- Geometry licence
- source-terms-not-recorded
- Use scope
- Locality reference only
- Scope class
- locality
- Authority
- Compiled location reference
- Source entity
- Project
- Method
- imported_reference_point
- Derivation
- imported_reference_point
- Precision scope
- Town coordinates from the Olds Wikipedia page. The developer places the site in the town's industrial area at the northeast corner of Highways 2A and 27 (SW and NW quarters of Section 4-33-1-W5M).
- Horizontal uncertainty
Not reported
The source record provides no measured horizontal uncertainty; original coordinate precision and note are preserved.
- Geometry evidence
- 3bb1bb6d
A locator places the site on the map. It is not a building footprint, a construction extent or a surveyed boundary unless the use scope is an official boundary, and even then it is a parcel or permit boundary.
Evidence
Sources are linked, not redistributed; each keeps its own terms. An archived copy is a lookup for the Wayback Machine capture nearest the retrieval date and may be unavailable or differ from what was reviewed. Each hash states what it covers; imported factual records are not publisher-page captures.
| Title | Publisher | Roles | Published | Retrieved | Licence | Attribution | Content hash (SHA-256) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta regulator rejects proposal for massive data centre in Olds over deficient application Archived copy | The Logic News | Imported: Record, Metric: Power Capacity, Milestone: Other, Role: Developer | source-terms-not-recorded | The Logic | 64a4f72006a0e402ba98c72d169075b35b4da18596be24c1cb089f63a03bbd86Factual source record; not the publisher page | ||
| Current Data Centre Projects in Olds Archived copy | Town of Olds Government record | Imported: Record, Imported: Status, Milestone: Other, Power Source: Natural Gas Onsite, Role: Developer, Role: Government | not stated | source-terms-not-recorded | Town of Olds | e83750a4428a6f193ba606c0f53436845549bad975747ff2a973ec42b1cf6fcbFactual source record; not the publisher page | |
| Olds, Alberta Archived copy | Wikipedia Other | Imported: Geometry, Imported: Record | not stated | source-terms-not-recorded | Wikipedia | 854a6d89cf841bcc105c2a82f09a75fdb79c43fa40008ca69ccd85b0cb35251fFactual source record; not the publisher page | |
| Synapse Data Center Project Information Package Archived copy | Synapse Real Estate Corp. (hosted by the Town of Olds) Company disclosure | Imported: Geometry, Imported: Record, Metric: Jobs Construction, Metric: Jobs Permanent, Metric: Power Capacity, Milestone: Announced, Power Source: Natural Gas Onsite, Role: Developer | source-terms-not-recorded | Synapse Real Estate Corp. (hosted by the Town of Olds) | c385cacde5ba759dfc55e7ed5b997f8a12c2ba5091970db5617e952e13531c08Factual source record; not the publisher page |
Cite this site
Kyars, K. (2026). Synapse Data Center (Olds) [site vcc-site-7a7046b12f3789bb93a5]. In Data Center Atlas (2026-10-27) [Data set]. https://kiankyars.github.io/datacenter-atlas/sites/vcc-site-7a7046b12f3789bb93a5/
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