Energy and infrastructure company, EverWind, has announced plans for $10 billion in private investment in a data centre campus at its existing Point Tupper site near Port Hawkesbury, N.S.
The funding includes $8 billion to develop, construct, own, and finance the data centre, as well as $2 billion to advance the company’s onshore wind projects.
“This is the largest injection of private capital, we believe, in Nova Scotia history, and we could not be prouder to be here today,” said EverWind CEO Trent Vichie
Vichie said the company has reached a long-term lease agreement with a “leading AI company — a very, very large one,” which will identify itself later Friday.
The campus will begin with an initial 95-megawatt (MW) phase in late 2027. This will be followed by a 325-megawatt expansion targeted for 2028 subject to regulatory conditions.
At full development, EverWind expects the campus to reach a capacity of 420 megawatts to “meet growing demand for artificial intelligence and digital services.”
EverWind’s plan is to fund the electricity infrastructure costs attributed to the project so costs aren’t passed to ratepayers. The company noted the the data centre will have “several hundred megawatt hours” of battery storage to support the facility.
“Canada doesn’t have enough compute power. We need more compute power in this country. The data we use every day in our health-care system for all of our banking needs, everything on our phones. Business is run on on this data. Government runs on it,” said Premier Tim Houston.
“We need more secure infrastructure, more secure data infrastructure. This is part of that puzzle. This is really important for Nova Scotia, but also for our country.”
Vichie said the investment will mean 2,000 jobs during construction, followed by 215 “high paying permanent operating positions,” as well as indirect jobs.
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“The investment here is anchored by a long-term commitment, so this will be here for a long, long time,” he said.
“This is investment that is in the ground here, supporting (not only Nova Scotia’s) energy economy, but its knowledge economy as well.”
Concerns about data centres
Data centres are used in artificial intelligence (AI) and other high-tech industries, and require massive amounts of electricity not just to run, but also to cool the computer servers.
There have been concerns across the country about the environmental and health impacts of such centres.
When asked if the province would be legislating rules or requirements for data centres, the premier said there are a “number of checks and balances along the way” currently.
“There’s an industrial approval process … that process will be ongoing. The environmental approvals, industrial approvals. There’s a very stringent process for industrial entities that set up in the province that doesn’t change,” he said.
NDP Leader Claudia Chender reacted to Friday’s announcement by saying she didn’t believe the premier was protecting Nova Scotians from data centre risks.
“Nova Scotians have deep concerns about the impact of data centres, including on power rates and fresh water,” she said in a statement.
“Meanwhile the Houston government is supporting this project without any discussion, consultation, legislation or regulations. The Premier is saying people should just trust his word that Nova Scotians will be protected.”
In June, Canada announced a new AI strategy that includes proposals for the building of “large-scale” data centres.
Residents in the community of Lorneville, in Saint John, N.B., have been vocally against a proposed AI data centre.
Several municipalities in Ontario have voted on whether to place moratoriums on the centres while they study possible guardrails.
There’s also been opposition in Alberta, where several provincial townhalls were dominated by heated questions and angry remarks over possible environmental risks, water usage and the cost of energy associated with the data centres.
EverWind’s plan for Point Tupper indicates it will use a closed-loop cooling system where a water–glycol mixture circulates through a sealed loop rather than being routinely discharged.
“Heat will be removed primarily using air, with water-assisted cooling used during the hottest weather,” EverWind said in a release.
“Nova Scotia’s cooler climate reduces cooling-water requirements for much of the year.”
The company said under current design assumptions, the initial phase would use about 100,000 litres of water per day, which it compared to the daily water use of a large shopping mall.
At the planned 420-megawatt full build-out, average water use is expected to be about 500,000 litres per day.
The company said it will fund water infrastructure costs and “comply with applicable requirements for water use, noise and emissions.”
Representatives from all three levels of government were on hand, lauding the project.
“Richmond County has been clear that the project of this scale must address questions about electricity, water, environment, existing infrastructure with clear answers supported by sound technical evidence,” said Lois Landry, warden of the Municipality of the County of Richmond.
“Today we’ve received very encouraging information about proposed technology to minimize water consumption, arrangements intended to protect electricity ratepayers, and commitments concerning infrastructure costs and renewable energy generation.”
She said the community is open to opportunities, “provided they are developed responsibly, protect the interests of our residents and deliver meaningful, lasting benefits.”
“There is still much to learn and important work ahead, but we welcome the opportunity for our community to be part of that conversation,” she said.
EverWind said it is committed to funding community programs, which could include local infrastructure and recreation facilities, and housing initiatives.
The company also expects the data centre and wind development project to generate over $400 million in municipal tax revenues over the projects’ lives.
Negotiations are also underway, it added, with a First Nations consortium led by Membertou Development Corporation for a potential ownership stake in the data centre.
“Membertou is proud to have a long established partnership with EverWind, sharing in ambitious development projects like those announced today,” said Membertou First Nation Chief Terry Paul in a statement.
“The world of tech is changing and advancing, there’s no question about that. What we as a community can control is how we develop it safely, with responsibility to our resources.”
