Surprised Nova Scotia is getting a data centre? This might be why

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Data centers. Those massive pieces of critical infrastructure scaling up at a breathtaking pace. As the demand for artificial intelligence surges, so does the need for processing power. There's no end in sight for the demand for more. And now, Everwind Fuels is well on its way to building one of the biggest data centers in Canada, right here in Nova Scotia. And yet, so many Nova Scotians were surprised to learn about it. For years, people knew about the plans for Nova Scotia's largest wind firm. To be built by Everwind Fuels in Guysborough County, it was to power the company's proposed green hydrogen facility, planned for here in Point Tupper. [00:00:45] Speaker 2: You know, we have big needs coming up. Climate change is creating enormous economic opportunities. [00:00:52] Speaker 1: No public mention about the possibility of an AI data center going there. While other provinces endorse data center construction, on June the 4th, 2026, some politicians are turning away from them. Manitoba Premier Wab Kanu rejects an unrelated massive AI data center from another proponent. [00:01:13] Scott Moe: We're not going to move ahead with the data center in Il-de-Shane because there's a big threat to the environment and not much benefit to the economy. [00:01:21] Speaker 1: On June the 18th, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston was asked point blank about a data center in Nova Scotia. [00:01:29] Tim Houston: It's not something we're actively pursuing. I think there are discussions because just anecdotally and, you know, what I hear around. [00:01:38] Speaker 1: In that same press briefing, he then tamped down expectations when asked how a potential data center would be powered. [00:01:46] Tim Houston: We're going to generate significant amounts of energy in this problem. I'm very confident in that over some time frame. And at that point in time, that would be a more appropriate discussion, I think. Yeah, there's no proposal in front of you. There's no proposals. I mean, certainly people talk to me about, well, Nova Scotia would be a great place for a data center. [00:02:04] Speaker 1: But behind the scenes, wheels are turning. The June 26th Independent Electric System Operator Report shows applications for large load interconnection for a commercial project in Richmond County. Everwind confirmed this week it was, in fact, the company inquiring about capacity for an AI data center. On July 2nd, the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Climate Change announces environmental assessment approval for a wind firm, part of a network Everwind would later say could eventually be used to power the data center. Still, no mention of a data center being built. The next day, on July the 3rd, Premier Houston re-ups a Facebook video posted more than a year earlier. Past the three-quarter mark of that video, data centers get a quick mention. [00:02:54] Tim Houston: Industry is desperate for clean, reliable energy. Wind West could fuel battery plants, AI data centers, industries of the future. [00:03:03] Speaker 1: It doesn't get much attention, but concern about data centers elsewhere in the country is building. [00:03:09] Tim Houston: Do you want AI data centers in Vancouver? No! [00:03:14] Speaker 1: Oakville, Ontario pumps the brakes on new data center construction, enacting a one-year moratorium. Mississauga City Council later follows suit, citing environmental concerns and demands on their electrical grid. On that same day, August the 12th, Tim Houston attends a straight-area Chamber of Commerce State of the Province address, sponsored in part by Everwind. By mid-September, a massive data center deal is announced. At the Canadian Investor Summit, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe praise Bell Canada's quadrupling of a planned AI data center near Regina. [00:03:52] Scott Moe: The power to build the intelligence age, the trust to build it right, the resolve to keep it our own. Congratulations to you both. Let's go. [00:04:02] Speaker 1: At that summit, data center developers are there. Premier Tim Houston is there as well. On September 23rd, an email from the Premier's office to CBC says the Premier has, quote, "had conversations with technology companies about opportunities surrounding data centers," and that, quote, "Nova Scotia will be led by Prime Minister Carney's responsible data center development principles as we consider data center projects in the province." That same day, another Facebook post by Tim Houston in which he writes, "The conversation around us has changed quickly. Canada should not be dependent on other countries to store and process critical Canadian data. We should build that capacity safely here at home. I understand there is some interest," and then he lays out condition for any approval. Sometime in late September, the warden of Richmond County, where the project will be built, says she learned about Everwind's Point Tupper data center like this. [00:05:02] Speaker 5: We heard a few weeks back about a potential data center. From who? Who told you about it? Well, I'll be honest, I actually heard about it online. The owner of Everwind had posted that he was in the data center business on LinkedIn, I believe. [00:05:23] Speaker 1: Warden Lois Landry says company officials also met with municipal representatives to confirm the project. Anthropic, an American artificial intelligence company, is coming to Point Tupper. [00:05:36] Speaker 5: I can confirm that as of three o'clock on Friday, there was no building permit, for example, applied for by the company for a data center. [00:05:45] Speaker 6: Then, on October 16th, the announcement. This is the largest injection of private capital, we believe, in Nova Scotia history, and we could not be prouder to be here today. We would not be here without the support of Premier Houston. [00:06:02] Tim Houston: This is representing the connection between the high technology possibilities and potential of our province and the energy generation potential that we have in our province. [00:06:14] Speaker 1: If the people doing the pre-construction work on the site in Point Tupper didn't fully know what they were working on, the sign now confirms it. Tom Murphy, CBC News, Halifax.