Aecon said its share of the award will be added to the company's third-quarter construction backlog.

Under the contract, the TRA consortium—of which Aecon holds a majority interest with Spain-based Técnicas Reunidas Alberta Inc.—will provide EPC and commissioning services. 

The work includes civil construction for the current and future power islands, piping, structural, mechanical, electrical and instrumentation systems, as well as balance-of-plant facilities, a gas metering station, switchyard and substation.

Construction is scheduled to begin during the third quarter, with commercial operation targeted for the second half of 2030.

Jean-Louis Servranckx, Aecon president and CEO, called the award evidence of "unprecedented demand" for power infrastructure supporting AI and data centers in North America. He added that the contract demonstrates Aecon's ability to deliver "large-scale, mission-critical infrastructure."

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Combined-Cycle Plant Designed for Phased Expansion

The Greenlight Electricity Centre is planned as a phased combined-cycle generating station in Sturgeon County, northeast of Edmonton, the provincial capital. The initial phase will produce 932 MW, with the site designed to expand to a permitted capacity of 1,864 MW as demand grows.

The Greenlight Electricity Centre will be built in Sturgeon County, northeast of Edmonton, within Alberta's Industrial Heartland. The first phase of the combined-cycle natural gas generating station will provide 932 MW of capacity, with the site designed to expand to 1.86 GW as demand grows. 

Map courtesy of Greenlight Electricity Centre

Alberta Utilities Commission filings describe a modular buildout in approximately 466-MW increments on a 98-hectare site about 8.5 km east of Gibbons, with full development anticipated by 2031.

Project documents show the facility will use combined-cycle technology that captures waste heat from natural gas turbines to generate additional electricity through steam turbines.

The first phase will use two Siemens Energy SGT6-8000H gas turbines, two SST6-5000 KN steam turbines and two SGen6-3000W generators under a fixed-price supply agreement with Siemens Energy, along with a long-term service agreement covering the generating equipment.

Plans also call for a new switchyard and transmission interconnection, fuel gas infrastructure, air-cooled condensers and supporting balance-of-plant systems. The project is being designed with carbon capture readiness.

Greenlight and the unnamed data center customer have executed a long-term Electrical Energy Supply Agreement under which the facility will provide the full 932 MW of generating capacity through a tolling arrangement that includes capacity and usage-based payments.

The plant will require about 150 million cu ft of natural gas per day, according to Pembina, which said Greenlight has secured long-term transportation capacity through the natural gas pipeline known as the Alliance Heartland Expansion Project, the TC Energy NGTL gas system and other commercial arrangements.

Beyond the EPC contract, Pembina will oversee the project's construction management workstream while a third-party contractor will operate the facility under a long-term services agreement after completion.

The partners said the project has received its major regulatory approvals, and about 85% of project costs have already been secured under fixed-price agreements, including the EPC contract and Siemens Energy equipment package. The remaining project funding will combine asset-level debt with equity contributions.

According to the Alberta government and project developers, construction is expected to peak at about 1,500 workers and require nearly 9 million labor-hours. The facility also will add dispatchable generation to Alberta's power system.

"Alberta natural gas is powering the digital economy forward with this significant investment in electricity generation," Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said in a statement. She said the investment would create thousands of jobs, generate significant economic growth and produce hundreds of millions of dollars in provincial revenue.