The County of Stettler council is proactively looking to update its land-use regulations for data centre applications.
At the Oct. 14 council meeting, Coun. Justin Stevens requested the municipality review its land-use rules, warning that data centre proposals are a “hotly contested item” for the rural community.
While no new development applications have been filed, staff noted that planning rules are set at the local level, while the Alberta Utilities Commission oversees power approvals.
Under current land-use rules, data centres in the county are classified as discretionary uses, restricted to agricultural-zoned areas.
Past Data Centre Projects In The County of Stettler
The Fire Technology Ewing Lake Data Processing Centre (NE 33-36-21-W4M) was proposed as a 9.9-megawatt, natural-gas-powered Bitcoin mining facility.
On Aug. 22, 2025, Alberta’s Land and Property Rights Tribunal revoked the data-processing permit, ruling the developer failed to obtain required written consent from the landowner.
The project remains inactive, although the tribunal preserved approval for power generation under revised AUC conditions, but noted this does not authorize data processing.
Noise concerns are also an issue for county officials after a 2021 project near Red Willow led to resident noise complaints from a few kilometres away.
In February 2024, the AUC issued a $241,000 fine to Avex Energy (formerly Avila Energy) for operating an unapproved natural gas-fired generator powering an unlicensed cryptocurrency mining operation near Red Willow.
Next Steps
With cryptocurrency & AI infrastructure expanding across Western Canada, Stettler County says they are aiming for clear guidelines to be in place before another application arrives.
Council passed Stevens’ motion to add a potential bylaw review to its Committee of the Whole agenda.
County officials also addressed recent social media claims alleging the municipality had approved a Meta data centre, clarifying the rumor is unfounded.
Author: Landin Chambers
Landin Chambers is a news reporter for Hometown Media Stettler. He has a background in broadcast news, with previous roles in Prince George, Red Deer and Calgary. You may also see him as a cameraman for the Stettler Wildcats and Stettler Imperials. Have a story idea? Email: lchambers@htproductionsmedia.ca
