Bitdeer starts Alberta 100 MW data center with gas plant

Bitdeer has broken ground near Fox Creek, Alberta, on a C$214 million ($155 million) project that pairs a 101 MW natural‑gas power plant with roughly 100 MW of data‑center computing capacity. The company plans to energize the site in the second quarter of 2027 and start computing operations at first energization.

The 7.7‑hectare site sits about 1.5 kilometres from Fox Creek in the Municipal District of Greenview No. 16. Bitdeer acquired the fully licensed and permitted project in February 2025 from a development originally advanced by Kiwetinohk Energy Corp. Construction began after permitting, engineering, environmental review and consultations with local governments and First Nations.

Bitdeer expects the project to create about 300 construction jobs and roughly 30 permanent positions. The company said it will prioritize Alberta‑based contractors and local hiring for operations.

The facility is being developed under Alberta’s bring‑your‑own‑generation framework and will operate in a behind‑the‑fence configuration, with the data center powered directly by the on‑site gas plant rather than drawing operating supply from the provincial grid. The plant will remain connected to the Alberta Electric System Operator through an approved 99 MW interconnection, allowing the site to curtail computing loads and export electricity to the grid during periods of peak demand or system stress.

Bitdeer plans to run bitcoin miners at startup to provide a flexible, deployable load that can consume available generation from the first day the plant is live. The data center and supporting infrastructure are being designed with sufficient power density and optionality to accommodate future high‑performance computing and AI customers if cooling, fiber access and contracts align.

Technical features include a closed‑loop dry‑cooling system that requires no water withdrawal from nearby bodies of water. The project will include a system to capture and utilize carbon dioxide emissions from on‑site generation; Bitdeer said the capture system is intended to lower the site’s carbon intensity and address applicable Canadian regulatory obligations.

Jihan Wu, Bitdeer chairman and chief executive, said in a statement: “Today’s groundbreaking marks the beginning of our long-term presence in Canada.” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith noted the province’s gas supply and power‑industry capacity make Alberta a competitive destination for AI data centers.

The construction start turns a licensed power asset into a live development project. The company’s stated timeline requires bringing both the gas plant and the data center online by mid‑2027 while maintaining environmental and regulatory compliance. The project follows a trend in which developers pair generation and computing capacity to provide flexible loads that can be curtailed or redirected to reduce impacts on regional grids.