The Globe and Mail reports in its Monday, Aug. 31, edition that a datacentre under construction north of Edmonton could raise power bills by between $270 and $460 annually for Albertan households, says the Pembina Institute. The Globe's Matthew McClearn writes that the facility, announced by Meta in July, is expected to begin operating in two to three years' time. Pembina's David Pickup said its startup will be equivalent to adding a city the size of Calgary to the grid. While a natural-gas-fired power plant will also be constructed at the site to help power the facility, Mr. Pickup said Alberta's rules allow datacentres to connect to the grid prior to bringing their own generating units on-line. This mismatch could lead to higher consumer electricity rates, a risk that would increase if Alberta attracts more datacentres. Mr. Pickup said, "It's just simple economics that if you have more demand and you don't have more supply, prices go up." Meta dismissed Pembina's methodology and conclusions saying they were "based on hypotheticals and assumptions." A provincial government spokesman accused Pembina of fearmongering. An increase in datacentres has raised concerns about rising prices and declining grid reliability.