Behind the fence: why AHI chose to generate its own power

Milestone retrospective. This entry was written and published in September 2026 as part of the campus timeline; the date shown is the period it describes, not a release date.

The single most important design decision at AHI was settled early: the campus generates its own power behind the fence, converting pipeline gas into electricity on site rather than waiting on a grid connection or adding new demand to Alberta’s system.

The logic is Alberta’s. A deregulated, merchant power market suits behind-the-fence generation; firm natural gas is at the fence; and the alternative — competing for scarce grid capacity — is a constraint many data-centre markets now face.

Generation uses modern lean-burn engines that are hydrogen-blend capable and operate within Alberta’s environmental approvals framework. Sound is engineered in from day one to Alberta Utilities Commission Rule 012.

Equally important is what the campus does not do: draw municipal water, connect to municipal sewer, or rely on municipal power. Cooling runs on a sealed closed loop. No costs are passed to residents or ratepayers.

A grid interconnection remains part of the long-term plan — as a pathway that adds supply to Alberta’s grid rather than taking from it. Until then, and for the first phases regardless, the campus runs fully behind the fence.

AHI — AI Hub of Innovation is developed by Havenz Smart Communities (Lead Developer) in partnership with Turning Stone Developments (investment partner); both are general partners of AHI. Statements about future capacity, dates and milestones are forward-looking and subject to approvals, capital and change; nothing in this article constitutes an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy securities. Growth beyond the first phase is a master-plan objective subject to its own permits and studies. Third-party names describe roles and imply no endorsement. See Important information.