Highvale End Land Use Area Structure Plan

Last summer, TransAlta held open houses to discuss the proposed changes to the Highvale End Land Use Area Structure Plan (ASP) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB) at the Seba Beach Heritage Pavilion and the Keephills Community Centre. At both events, attendees learned about the proposed amendments, asked questions and provided feedback directly to TransAlta representatives.

Conversations and feedback highlighted a broad range of considerations and questions regarding the proposed bylaw amendments. Although much of the feedback was focused on the proposed amendments to the ASP and LUB, many discussions also considered the future permitting of a data centre. Additionally, some questions were asked about TransAlta’s reclamation activities.

In September 2025, Parkland County approved the recommended changes to the ASP and Parkland County’s LUB, which amended the existing Keephills Direct Control District and created a new direct control district. This gives Parkland County Council the ability to regulate development in the amended areas and allows for potential data centre development in the future.

The ASP and LUB changes are the final step in Stage 1 of the “Development Approval Process” outlined in the illustration below. Should a proponent decide to proceed with a data centre project, the proponent would enter Stage 2 of the Development Approval Process.

Approval of the ASP and LUB does not approve a specific data centre project; it only establishes the planning framework that would guide any future proposals.

Next Steps

On February 27, 2026, TransAlta announced it had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) and Brookfield. The MOU established a framework for a phased development, which included an initial agreement to advance a 230 MW data centre development at TransAlta’s Keephills site, for which TransAlta will be the exclusive site and power provider.

The announced MOU does not mean a new data centre is being built at this time. The project is still in the early planning stage (Stage 1 of the Development Approval Process, shown above). Any decision to move to the next stage (Stage 2) would depend on a range of commercial, technical, and regulatory considerations being met by TransAlta, CPP investments, and Brookfield.

Opportunities for public input will be available at various points during the Project Development and public engagement steps of the Development Approvals process, prior to any submission of a Development Permit Application.