Net Zero Now this month announced the completion of environmental studies on an energy campus in Alberta.
The Calgary-based organization says its first energy campus, slated to sprawl across more than 300 acres, was a site selected to meet specific infrastructure requirements.
Net Zero Now hopes the campus will solve a recently imposed constraint (which not everyone is pleased with) in Canada’s fastest-growing data centre market: Data centres are applying for an order of magnitude more load capacity than the Alberta Electric System Operator is willing to connect them to.
“As the AESO’s large-load interconnection queue grew exponentially, we recognized the need for a fundamentally different approach to powering these large loads,” says Scott Martin, Head of Energy at Net Zero.
Net Zero Now wants to build “the infrastructure backbone of Canada’s digital future” through a network of energy campuses that enable the co-location of electricity generation and compute load, accelerating access to projects with low-cost electricity and net zero carbon emissions.
The inaugural energy campus will be constructed using “net zero building techniques” such as advanced insulation systems, sustainable materials, and energy-efficient construction practices, according to a statement from the firm.
Once completed, the site will offer a fast-to-market and low-cost electricity supply solution that includes 400MW of base load electricity generation, power quality services, backup supply, and an accompanying data centre campus.
“We’re giving hyperscale operators the ability to directly connect through a co-located energy campus, or contract with our energy campus virtually through the electricity grid in order to bring their own generation online and serve a pre-existing site,” Martin explains.
Logan Downing, Head of Carbon Strategy at Net Zero, acknowledges that “Many data centre operators are reluctant to enter a new market due to a lack of electricity supply, local contacts, or regulatory experience.”
“We provide fully-permitted, construction-ready energy campuses that enable speed-to-market, low-cost electricity supply, and a best-in-class carbon intensity to accelerate Alberta’s position in the rapidly growing AI industry,” he said.
Downing believes that province will become “a top-tier global data center market” in “the near future as investors and operators look at the favourable electricity cost, tax environment, and foreign exchange rate that comes with doing business in Alberta.”
Net Zero Now was founded in 2023.