Investment Announcement: FortisAlberta Expands Operations in Airdrie with New Facility

FortisAlberta has completed construction of a new operations centre in Airdrie's Highland Park, the first step in consolidating its workforce from Calgary to the growing community by 2027.

The electricity distribution company, whose system makes up 60 per cent of Alberta’s total electrical distribution grid, will increase its workforce in Airdrie to 460 employees by 2027 as part of a major investment that includes renovating and expanding its existing Kingsview Road location and relocating its head office from Calgary.

"With Airdrie being one of the largest communities we serve, it made sense to expand our presence here and bring more of our teams closer to our customers," said Jon Zawada, Vice President of Corporate Services at FortisAlberta.

The new Highland Park Operations Centre spans 48,000 sq. ft. over two floors on a 9-acre lot, housing 70 employees, including power line technicians, design teams, dispatch and a 24/7 control centre that monitors the company's grid.

The operations teams were relocated from the Kingsview Road facility to allow for safer access for large trucks and more room for materials. The Kingsview site is currently undergoing renovations to accommodate the relocation of Calgary office staff.

With an aging Calgary office in a city they don’t serve, Airdrie made sense for the new headquarters. “Once we complete our corporate office consolidation in Airdrie, between our Highland Park Operations Centre in the north and our Kingsview Road corporate office in the south, FortisAlberta will figuratively embrace Airdrie,” added Zawada.

FortisAlberta owns and operates more than 133,000 kilometres of power lines, delivering electricity to almost 600,000 homes, farms and businesses across more than 240 communities. The company employs 1,300 Albertans across the province, including more than 350 field employees.

Crews working out of the Highland Park facility support Rocky View, Mountain View, Wheatland and Kneehill counties, including Airdrie, Crossfield, Acme, Beiseker, Irricana, Balzac and Madden.

"There's a lot of pride in what we do as a company. In providing reliable power to our customers and safely and quickly getting it back on when it goes out," said Zawada, who has been in the industry for 23 years.

The new facility features energy-efficient systems and is supported by generators and uninterruptable power supply units to ensure critical operations remain available at all times.

Photos by Britton Ledingham