Port Hawkesbury council, local residents want data centre answers

Port Hawkesbury's town council and local residents are pushing EverWind Fuels for details about a data centre the green hydrogen company plans to build at its property in nearby Point Tupper, N.S.

Council held its first public discussion on the subject Tuesday night, nearly two weeks after EverWind revealed a data centre is among the firm's long-term plans.

Council members voted to direct town staff to gather information from EverWind and provide a followup report. Meanwhile, Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton insists any data centre plan cannot jeopardize the main water supply for Port Hawkesbury and Point Tupper.

"For Port Hawkesbury as a township and as a major service centre that will be near this proposed data centre, there is one important item for the Town of Port Hawkesbury to consider, and that is Landrie Lake, the town's municipal water source," Chisholm-Beaton told Tuesday's council session.

"We can all agree, as a council, that we have prioritized growth. And we want to ensure that our municipal water source will not only continue to meet the needs of existing residents and businesses, but that we will have room for growth in our water requirements over time, as Port Hawkesbury grows its population and expands its business corridors."

Councillors, residents unsure if benefits outweigh risks

As 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.

Like Chisholm-Beaton, none of Port Hawkesbury's four town councillors offered an outright endorsement of the EverWind plan. Most said they have already heard from residents concerned about the Landrie Lake water utility, which is located in Richmond County but jointly managed by the county and town.

"I'm all for economic development, but not at the expense of our water or our resources," Deputy Mayor Todd Barrett said during the open council discussion.

Those concerns were echoed by two Strait Area residents who spoke during the meeting. Craig Power, a longtime Port Hawkesbury resident with a background in the tech industry, questioned the safety and efficiency of data centres designed to produce AI.

Port Hawkesbury resident Craig Power, far left, shared his thoughts about data centre construction and operation with Port Hawkesbury town council during Tuesday night's meeting. (Adam Cooke/CBC)

"They can generate heat increases for 10 kilometres of up to two degrees Celsius," said Power. "And they don't tend to create a lot of jobs, because once they're constructed, it's a skeleton crew that runs them."

As of Oct. 6, EverWind Fuels had not confirmed whether its proposed centre would involve artificial intelligence production.

Richmond County resident Jalissa Stewart, whose home in Louisdale is a 20-minute drive from EverWind's Point Tupper location, told council she had several concerns about the proposal.

"Even if it's just in Richmond and there's no current proposal for this town, it still affects the residents nearby," Stewart said.

Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton delivers her opening address on the EverWind Fuels data centre proposal, as chief administrative officer Terry Doyle looks on. (Adam Cooke/CBC)

While Richmond County's municipal council has not held an open discussion on the data centre plan, Warden Lois Landry has said she is open to the idea as long as it meets federal, provincial and municipal rules and does not harm local water supplies or similar resources.

Questioned about Port Hawkesbury's role should the data centre go ahead, the town's chief administrative officer, Terry Doyle, said "we would have to advocate on behalf of the residents of the town of Port Hawkesbury" should concerns arise about safety or local resource management.

In her initial remarks to council, Chisholm-Beaton said she was hopeful public consultations planned by EverWind officials in the coming months would give local municipalities and residents a clearer picture of the proposal.

"EverWind has indicated that their priorities are to protect ratepayers, water resources and the environment, and to make sure infrastructure costs, if created, are covered by the developer, and deliver meaningful benefits to local communities," the mayor said.