Why Alberta
Energy
Alberta sits on one of North America's largest natural gas resource bases and produces more than 60% of Canada's natural gas. With an estimated 372 trillion cubic feet of remaining recoverable natural gas potential, the province offers the scale and established energy infrastructure required to support large data centre development. North Star plans to pair this energy advantage with dedicated generation, providing reliable and scalable power reducing dependence on Alberta's electrical grid.
Climate
Alberta's cool, dry climate provides a natural advantage for data centres. With an average annual temperature of 5°C (41°F), Alberta offers significantly cooler conditions than major data centre markets such as Virginia, Texas, or Silicon Valley, reducing the energy and water required for cooling and lowering operating costs by tens of millions a year.
Land
Alberta has the space required for data centres to grow at hyperscale. Large industrial sites can accommodate substantial data centre campuses, dedicated power generation and supporting infrastructure while preserving room for future expansion. North Star's phased approach is designed to capitalize on that advantage, expanding data centre and power capacity together as customer demand grows.
Low Emissions
Alberta is a global leader in carbon capture and storage. Located within the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, the province has extensive geological formations capable of permanently storing captured carbon dioxide deep underground.
North Star will use technologies and expertise readily available in Alberta to reduce the carbon footprint of its operations. This includes carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) as part of our dedicated power strategy, taking advantage of Alberta's established CCS expertise, infrastructure and geology to support low emissions power for AI and hyperscale computing.
Government Support
The Government of Alberta has made AI data centres a strategic economic priority. The province's AI Data Centres Strategy aims to make Alberta one of North America's most attractive locations for data centre investment, supported by streamlined regulation, an AI Data Centre Concierge Program, municipal collaboration, and policies encouraging dedicated power generation.
Talent & Connectivity
Alberta combines strong digital connectivity with an exceptional pool of technical talent. The province has more engineers per capita than any other province in Canada, supported by deep expertise in energy, technology, construction, and skilled trades. This established workforce provides many of the specialized skills required to build and operate large scale data centres.