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The company that’s been pursuing hundreds of wind turbines and a green hydrogen production facility in Nova Scotia has added a data centre to its list of projects.
Meanwhile, Premier Tim Houston — who had recently said data centres in Nova Scotia wouldn’t be entertained until far into the future — says the landscape has changed and he’s now open to conversations about allowing them to be built.
EverWind Fuels spokesperson Claire Parsons said via email that the company “is exploring opportunities to host a data centre at our existing industrial site at Point Tupper” — an industrial hub just outside the town of Port Hawkesbury where the company already holds land.
The company has been working for several years to get approvals and funding for wind farms across the province and a facility in Point Tupper that would harness the wind power to produce green hydrogen and ammonia for export to European buyers.
Parsons said EverWind is still committed to green hydrogen and ammonia production.
“A potential data centre development would complement those plans by strengthening the energy and infrastructure platform at Point Tupper, while attracting new industries that can create good jobs and contribute to Nova Scotia’s economic growth,” she said.
EverWind would not provide any other details about the project, including its intended capacity and whether it would be used for AI or another purpose.
Job postings for data centre construction
Utility contractor Valard Construction, an Edmonton-based company that’s owned by Texas-based Quanta Services, has recently posted several job openings for work related to data centre construction, based in Port Hawkesbury.
EverWind would not confirm any affiliation with Valard and the company did not immediately respond to an inquiry.
Valard has previously highlighted its work on a data centre in Sarnia, ON.
As the federal government’s newly announced AI strategy champions more giant data centres, a growing number of Canadians want nothing to do with them, including Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew who just killed a plan to build one near Winnipeg. Backlash is also growing across the U.S.
In June, Houston told reporters the province would need to secure more energy before there could be serious talks about data centres.
On Wednesday afternoon, Houston posted on social media that “the conversation around us has changed very quickly.”
In the post, Houston talked about data centres, generally, and did not name any specific projects, but said he understands “there is some interest.”
He gave three reasons why the conversation has changed: the federal government’s responsible data centre framework, the massive investment in expanding a planned AI-data centre in Saskatchewan and the volatility of global politics.
“Data centres are increasingly critical infrastructure supporting our economy, banking, health care, research and government services,” Houston wrote.
“Canada should not be dependent on other countries to store and process critical Canadian data. We should build that capacity safely here at home.”
Houston’s conditions
Houston said he has five starting conditions for any company that wants to build a “major” data centre:
- Meet or exceed Prime Minister Carney’s new federal standards.
- Protect our water and environment, including closed loop cooling and strict standards around water use, noise and emissions.
- Protect Nova Scotia ratepayers. Their electricity demands cannot increase power rates for other Nova Scotians. They must pay the costs they create and contribute to a stronger, more reliable grid. Their presence must either have no negative impact on other customers’ rates or help lower them.
- Deliver significant, lasting benefits for Nova Scotians. That means jobs, training, local business opportunities and meaningful benefits negotiated with the host municipality.
- Provide a direct financial return to Nova Scotians, above and beyond normal taxes.
He said he also expects data centre projects to “support Nova Scotia’s broader energy and economic priorities,” including strengthening the power grid and supporting offshore and onshore wind and onshore natural gas development.
Houston said he’s setting “high standards” because “Nova Scotians should never be asked to take the risk while somebody else gets the reward.”
Parsons, of EverWind, said the company is committed to responsible development and any project it pursues would be designed to meet federal and provincial requirements.
The controversy over data centres
As more and more energy-hungry data centres are proposed across the country, they are proving consistently controversial.
Proponents defend their necessity to meet surging demand for computing power and data storage and officials argue they bring economic and community benefits. But critics worry about the environmental costs. Data centres require massive inputs of energy to function and water to keep components cool.
Alberta has been running town halls on the issue — and drawing the ire of attendees — since Facebook parent Meta announced plans for a $13-billion AI data centre northeast of Edmonton.
Vancouverites marched in the hundreds this summer to oppose the construction of two new AI data centres in the city.
In Nova Scotia, one municipality recently proposed a six-month moratorium on AI data centres. In light of a major land transaction in the Municipality of Cumberland, locals were concerned the land would be used for a data centre and councillors said they wanted to buy time to make an informed decision, if a request for a development permit came before them. .
The proposed bylaw passed second reading on Wednesday. No applications for development permits for data centres have been made to the municipality.
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