This article first appeared in The Energy Mag. The original article can be viewed here. The Energy Mag (formerly The Miner Mag) provides news, data, and insights on the energy–compute–markets nexus.

The company said Tuesday it broke ground near Fox Creek on a site that will combine a 101 megawatt natural gas-fired power plant with a data center offering about 100 MW of computing capacity. The project represents a $155 million investment, or about C$214 million, and is expected to be energized in the second quarter of 2027.

Bitdeer said the facility will initially support bitcoin mining while retaining the flexibility to host future high-performance computing workloads, including AI applications. That positioning is notable as miners seek to preserve near-term cash flow from bitcoin production while designing new sites with enough power density and infrastructure optionality to appeal to AI and HPC tenants.

The Fox Creek project is being developed under Alberta’s bring-your-own-generation framework. Instead of drawing operating electricity from the grid, the data center is designed to be powered directly by the on-site gas plant in a behind-the-fence configuration. The plant will remain connected to the Alberta Electric System Operator grid through an approved 99 MW interconnection, giving the site the ability to curtail computing workloads and send electricity back to the grid during peak demand or system stress.

That structure addresses one of the central tensions surrounding new data-center development: how to add large, power-hungry computing loads without worsening grid constraints or shifting costs to other customers. In several US power markets, including PJM, rapid data-center growth has become a flashpoint as grid operators and regulators debate whether large loads should be required to bring new generation or accept curtailment obligations.

Bitdeer’s Alberta site follows that broader industry shift toward co-locating power supply and compute demand. For bitcoin miners, the model has a dual purpose. Mining provides an immediately deployable, flexible load that can use available generating capacity from the first day of energization. At the same time, the underlying infrastructure can be designed for higher-value compute use cases if AI demand, fiber access, cooling requirements and customer contracts line up.

The project also deepens Bitdeer’s exposure to North American energy infrastructure at a time when the company is expanding beyond its role as a bitcoin miner and mining-equipment manufacturer. Bitdeer acquired the fully licensed and permitted Fox Creek site in February 2025 from a project originally developed by Kiwetinohk Energy Corp. and approved by the Alberta Utilities Commission. The company said the site is moving into construction after years of permitting, engineering, environmental review, regulatory approvals and consultations with local governments and First Nations.

The 7.7-hectare site, located about 1.5 kilometers from Fox Creek in the Municipal District of Greenview No. 16, is expected to create about 300 construction jobs and 30 permanent positions. Bitdeer said it will prioritize Alberta-based contractors and local hiring for operational roles.

The company said the facility will use a closed-loop dry-cooling system with no water withdrawal from nearby bodies of water. It also plans to deploy a system to capture and utilize carbon dioxide emissions from on-site power generation, which Bitdeer said is intended to reduce the project’s carbon intensity and offset applicable carbon obligations under Canadian regulations.

“Today’s groundbreaking marks the beginning of our long-term presence in Canada,” Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jihan Wu said in the statement. He said Alberta and Fox Creek offer a combination of regulatory confidence, energy resources, openness to industrial investment and skilled labor.

The project arrives as Alberta seeks to attract AI data-center investment by promoting its natural- gas resources, deregulated power market and industrial development framework. Premier Danielle Smith said in the announcement that the province’s gas supply and power-industry capacity make Alberta a competitive destination for AI data centers.

For Bitdeer, the construction start turns Fox Creek from a permitted power asset into a live development project. The company’s challenge now will be execution: bringing the gas plant and data center online by 2027, maintaining environmental and regulatory compliance, and proving that a mining-first site can retain enough technical flexibility to capture future AI and HPC demand.

This article first appeared in The Energy Mag. The original article can be viewed here. The Energy Mag (formerly The Miner Mag) provides news, data, and insights on the energy–compute–markets nexus.

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