575-acre data center could be built near Calgary, Canada
A data center campus spanning 575 acres could be built near Calgary, Canada.
The Goldfinch Technology Park, proposed by data center park developer Diode Ventures, would be located at the Goldfinch Industrial Area, an industrial area in Wheatland County between Range Road 270, Township Road 222, Township Road 220, and Range Road 261.
Documents submitted by Diode to the county show that the campus would be built in three phases, but details about the campus’ capacity were not provided.
The project came one step closer to fruition last week when, on July 7, the Wheatland County council voted in favor of progressing several planning bylaws paving the way for the project.
These bylaws include inserting a planning framework for data centers into a planning document for the Goldfinch Industrial Area and the rezoning of some land parcels from Agricultural General District to Industrial General District.
The council approved both first and second readings of both of these bylaws, but bylaws in Wheatland County require three readings in order to be officially passed. The project itself is also yet to receive planning approval.
Diode has said that it would provide detailed plans – including information about the campus’ capacity – should land use applications be approved by the Wheatland County council.
Local reactions to the campus have been largely negative, with concerns expressed about noise, energy and water use, construction impacts, and the impact on wildlife.
Calgary is located in Alberta, a landlocked Canadian province in western Canada.
Diode Ventures is a subsidiary of Black & Veatch, an engineering, procurement and consulting firm. It has developed and sold several data center parks around Kansas City and it is currently pursuing projects in Texas and Idaho.
