Nova Scotia Premier Says Written Agreement for $8B Data Centre Still in Early Stages
Premier Tim Houston says a formal written agreement between Nova Scotia and EverWind Fuels for a proposed $8 billion data centre in Point Tupper will eventually be required, though the project remains in its early stages. The facility would be leased to AI company Anthropic for 20 years.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says a written agreement between the provincial government and EverWind Fuels regarding a proposed $8 billion data centre in Point Tupper will eventually be required, but that time has not yet arrived.
EverWind Fuels announced plans last week to construct the facility, which is intended to be leased to artificial intelligence company Anthropic for 20 years. Houston said EverWind officials first shared their contemplation of the data centre with him in the last few weeks.
While the project carries promises of economic development, it has also raised persistent questions about regulation and environmental impacts. Environment Minister Tim Halman confirmed that the data centre will not require a formal environmental assessment. Instead, the province is relying on its existing regulatory framework. EverWind has filed an application with the Environment Department for industrial approval for the diesel generators required by the project.
Houston laid out non-binding guidelines for the development, including a stipulation that power rates cannot be caused to increase. He noted, however, that there is currently no legislation or regulations in place to enforce these guidelines.
The premier also expressed openness to discussing a levy for the data centre, similar to what Alberta is implementing, to ensure benefits for Nova Scotians.