A Canada-based consortium is moving forward with plans for a major natural gas-fired power plant project in Alberta. Aecon Group said that TRA, a consortium with Spain-headquartered Técnicas Reunidas Alberta in which Aecon holds a majority share, has been awarded a multibillion-dollar contract by Greenlight Electricity Centre Limited Partnership.
The Greenlight Electricity Centre (GLEC) is a proposed $3.2-billion gas-fired combined cycle power generation facility that will serve a major data center development. Aecon on July said the initial 932 MW of generation capacity is expected to be expanded to a permitted generation capacity of 1,864 MW. The company said its $1.7-billion share of the contract value will be added to its construction segment backlog in its third quarter of this year. Aecon said the contract award “follows the completion of early engineering and development work, further strengthens Aecon’s multi-year revenue visibility, and expands its role in delivering critical power infrastructure to support accelerating demand from Artificial Intelligence [AI], digital infrastructure, data centers and broader electrification trends.”
The GLEC partnership includes natural gas supplier Pembina Pipeline Corp., Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners, and Kineticor Asset Management. The new power plant is sited in Sturgeon County, Alberta, northeast of Edmonton.
“The rapid advancement of AI infrastructure, data centres, digital transformation and economic growth are driving one of the most significant power infrastructure investment cycles, and unprecedented demand for power generation in North America,” said Jean-Louis Servranckx, president and CEO of Aecon Group. “This contract award reflects Aecon’s multidisciplinary capabilities—supporting digital sovereignty and safely delivering large-scale, mission-critical infrastructure in sectors benefiting from long-term demand for power generation and grid expansion.”
Siemens Energy Supplying Equipment
The TRA consortium under the contract will provide engineering, procurement, and construction services, and handle commissioning. The group said the work includes civil construction for the current and future power islands, piping, structural, mechanical, electrical and instrumentation systems, along with balance-of-plant facilities, a gas metering station, switchyard and substation. The power station is expected to enter commercial operation in 2030.
Officials said the initial 932-MW 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. There also is a long-term service agreement that covers the facility’s generating equipment. The power plant will have carbon capture technology.
“Executing a project of this scale requires world-class expertise. Working with our partner and client, Aecon’s execution discipline and experience building complex industrial and power infrastructure projects will be critical to safety, quality, schedule and cost performance,” said Thomas Clochard, executive vice president and COO of Aecon Group. “Aecon is purpose-built to bring its diverse expertise to harness significant opportunities across the power generation, transmission and distribution, communications and digital infrastructure value chain.”
Pembina said the plant will need about 150 MMcf of natural gas daily. Greenlight has a long-term transportation capacity contract with the Alliance Heartland Expansion Project pipeline, the TC Energy NGTL gas system, and other commercial arrangements, according to officials.
The project partners said the project has received needed 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. Officials said the remaining project funding will combine asset-level debt with equity contributions. Alberta officials said they expect about 1,500 workers on the job site during peak construction.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in a statement said, “Alberta natural gas is powering the digital economy forward with this significant investment in electricity generation.”
Aecon noted that its major natural gas and power generation infrastructure in Canada includes the 900-MW TC Energy Napanee Generating Station in Ontario, along with the 550-MW Portlands Energy Centre, also in Ontario. That province also is home to Aecon’s East Windsor Cogeneration Centre (92 MW). The company said it is working with Capital Power on that company’s expansion projects, which include an additional 106 MW at the East Windsor site. Aecon also built the 86-MW Spy Hill Peaking Station in Saskatchewan.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
