Frequently Asked Questions

Captus is a Calgary-based energy infrastructure company led by Alberta industry professionals advancing plans for an electricity generation facility on industrial land south of Pincher Creek that could support digital infrastructure.

We have identified an unusually good opportunity to develop a self-supporting, low-impact power and digital infrastructure project that will bring economic opportunity and diversification to a region that has a rich energy industry history dating back to the earliest days of oil and gas in Alberta.

We are led by experienced energy industry professionals based in Calgary and are backed by an Alberta private equity group. The team has deep experience developing, permitting, building and operating energy infrastructure in Alberta and across Canada.

To learn more about our team, please visit our About page.

Captus plans to build an electricity generation facility that could be co-located with a high-tech data centre on industrial land within the Municipal District of Pincher Creek. Since we don’t yet have a final deal with a technology industry partner, many details still have to be determined, including design, scale, construction timing, cooling system and operating details. Those details will depend on commercial agreements, engineering, regulatory review and required approvals. We do know, however, that the development will use non-potable water and have no impact on water reservoirs in the region.

Captus would build the natural gas fueled power generation plant and sell the electricity to a technology company that would build the digital infrastructure concurrently.

Captus leaders have been speaking with several prospective digital infrastructure partners and finding a lot of interest, but there is not yet a confirmed data centre developer. Technology companies are attracted by the large parcel of industrial land with utility connections in place for reliable electricity generation. Even so, these are very large investments so it takes time to finalize an agreement to move forward. We look forward to announcing an agreement to the Pincher Creek community as soon as we can.

The final size and layout of the Captus development have yet to be determined. We have explored various configurations and are planning the project as a phased development, which means it would not be built all at once.

The final scale will depend on numerous factors, approvals, and the needs of a future digital infrastructure partner. Once that is confirmed, we will provide an update. Until then, the project is still in planning stages and will be subject to required approvals.

The Captus development has potential to bring significant investment to the Municipal District of Pincher Creek, create jobs for both construction and operations, support local contractors and service businesses, increase the local tax base and help diversify the regional economy through a new technology-forward industry.

Details have not yet been finalized, and we will share more information as the project advances. If there are specific opportunities you would be interested in hearing more about as planning advances, please get in touch.

Captus bought this site – 825 acres about 20 km south of Pincher Creek – because it is an unusually good location for a new natural gas-fueled power generation plant that could in turn attract a co-located industrial partner to use the electricity. It has several features that make it suitable for combined energy and data infrastructure. The site is already zoned for heavy industrial use with existing power and natural gas utilities in place and high-capacity fibre optic connections to transmit data nearby. The Pincher Creek climate also reduces energy demand for cooling the computer equipment compared with warmer locations.

This natural suitability does not remove the need for careful planning. Data centres have understandably sparked public opposition where they impact agricultural land or residential areas, where they draw substantially on freshwater resources, or where they put upward pressure on local power prices. The Captus development will not have any of these impacts because of its location. As the development advances, Captus and the data centre proponent will undertake detailed work on site design, water management, noise, visual impact, traffic and construction considerations.

No. The project site is already designated for heavy industrial use with both a power generation facility and a non-operating natural gas processing plant in place today.   

No. Water is one of the most important questions for any data centre project, and we are sensitive to water concerns in this dry region of southern Alberta. The project would not rely on freshwater. Our planning is being designed to utilize non-potable saline water and treat it to use for industrial purposes.

There will be zero impact on the Waterton Reservoir or any other reservoirs or lakes in the region. The project site is many kilometres away from the nearest surface water body of any significance.

This is one of the many features that make the site so desirable. The plan is to build fully reliable power supply for the data centre on-site. This eliminates reliance on the provincial grid for electricity.

Data centre buildings are not a source of air emissions. They are buildings that house computing equipment and related infrastructure. The power plant will be a modern, high-efficiency facility operating on natural gas. To get regulatory approval, the facility will need to meet Alberta regulatory standards.

Noise is a valid concern for immediate neighbours of data centres. Fortunately, the Captus site is on industrial land in a rural area. Detailed noise analysis and mitigation are part of the project planning and regulatory process. We will be required to design appropriate mitigation and meet applicable regulatory requirements before the project can proceed.

We understand these concerns, and we will not have specific answers until a digital infrastructure partner is confirmed. Site design, construction planning and mitigation measures are not yet complete. However, factors such as building placement, lighting, screening, road access, construction traffic, work hours and safety planning will be carefully considered as the project design advances to minimize the impact on the community. It helps that this is industrially zoned land with other industrial developments already in the area.

The Captus project site sits directly above a depleted natural gas field that would be ideal for carbon capture and storage (CCS). If the greenhouse gas emissions from the power plant were to be captured and permanently stored underground, the power plant could be virtually carbon-neutral. The decision to include CCS and when to add it will rest with the digital infrastructure partner.