Inside the Coming Power Surge: Beacon AI Centers’ Bet on Alberta

North American electricity demand is growing fast, driven by the increasing presence of data centers, as well as other load growth. In Alberta alone, the AESO has reported about 12 GW of requests for load grid connections from data centers. 

This week, our guest is Josh Schertzer, Chief Executive Officer at Beacon AI Centers, which recently announced plans to develop up to 4.5 GW of AI data centers in Alberta, representing an investment of up to C$10 billion. 

Here are some of the questions that Jackie and Peter asked Josh: Should Albertans be concerned about this substantial load growth and the potential for associated higher electricity prices, given that 4.5 GW would account for nearly a 50% increase in current average provincial demand? Can data centers introduce flexibility by curtailing demand during periods of power shortages? Will Beacon AI Centers rely on grid electricity, or will they build their own generation sources? Do the clients of data centers, such as major IT companies, view natural gas as an acceptable energy source, considering its greenhouse gas emissions? How much cooling water is required, and could freshwater availability become a growth constraint? Lastly, what is the employment impact of the projects, including construction, operations, and spin-off jobs associated with establishing a data center hub? 

Content referenced in this podcast:

• Globe and Mail, “Carney to brief premiers on plan to fast-track major nation building projects” (May 29, 2025)  
• The Logic, “Calgary firm eyes $10B AI data centre building blitz” (May 15, 2025) 
• Duke Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, “Rethinking Load Growth: Assessing the potential for integration of large flexible loads in US power systems” (February 2025)

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