data centre

Lorneville residents say they are disappointed with how some mayoral candidates have responded to concerns about Beacon AI’s proposed data centre.

Those concerns were raised last week during the Human Development Council’s mayoral forum at the Imperial Theatre, where candidates discussed key issues facing Saint John.

Forum moderator Geoff Walsh, publisher of the community newsletter SJToday, described the project as a “contentious issue” as he asked incumbent Mayor Donna Reardon and incumbent Coun. Barry Ogden whether residents’ environmental concerns had been adequately addressed when council approved the zoning change in Lorneville.

Ogden said residents were not happy — and remain unhappy — with the decision that allowed the expansion of the Spruce Lake Industrial Park to attract more industry to the city.

 While he said he is “uncomfortable” with the project, Ogden added he wants to see the results of the ongoing environmental review before taking a firmer stance.

Reardon also said she wants to wait for the completed environmental review to provide a more informed response to residents’ concerns.

She said council took appropriate steps to engage residents during the decision-making process, pointing to the creation of a task force that met directly with Lorneville residents.

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The task force recommended “outlawing” certain types of development, including concrete plants and ashfall facilities. Reardon also said council consulted Indigenous partners and held a public hearing that took place over three evenings.

Documents were filed April 10 as part of the environmental impact assessment process.

According to the registered EIA documents, the proposed data centre would not place a significant demand on the city’s Spruce Lake industrial water supply but would require a substantial amount of power — about 390 megawatts.

The plan includes a natural-gas power generation facility capable of producing 190 megawatts, with NB Power supplying the remaining 200 megawatts.

The documents also state the data centre would use a “closed-loop” water-based cooling system that “significantly reduces overall water consumption compared to open-loop or evaporative cooling designs.”

Water use has been a key concern for residents, but Alberta-based Beacon AI Centres and Texas-based Voltagrid estimate the initial system infill would require about 3.5 million litres — a small fraction of what other industrial users consume in the city.

The EIA fillings also revealed the planned gas plant would produce more than 750,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases a year, which if approved, will join New Brunswick’s highest emitters, just falling behind NB Power’s Belledune Generating Station, which produces over two million green house gases a year.

At the forum, however, residents raised concerns about the project’s energy demands.

While the companies plan to generate some of their own power, residents worry NB Power lacks the infrastructure to meet the remaining demand, potentially leading to higher electricity rates for customers.

According to other media reports, the utility said it wasn’t alarmed by the electricity needs of the proposed data centre, despite facing energy shortfalls.

Lorneville resident Lauren Smith attended the forum and said she is not satisfied with what she heard that evening.

Smith believes there was a lack of dialogue between the candidates and residents.

“Two questions for a whole auditorium of people, for a municipal election, is not sufficient,” she said. “We should be hearing from the public.”

Smith believes that the proposed data centre and gas plant could become a problem not only for Lorneville, but for the province, due to the estimated energy demand and gas emissions.

Smith added that she feels the onus has fallen on Lorneville to help inform the province of the potential repercussions approving the data centre could have on New Brunswick.

“We should be hearing this from the people that we’ve elected, but all we’re met with is silence,” she said.

Like Smith, Lorneville resident and member of advocacy group Save Lorneville, Chris Watson, said is “unacceptable” for Lorneville residents to know more about the development than the politicians that represent the community.

He said with the municipal elections coming up, feeling heard on this issue will be a priority for the community. Watson said the community wants to see a mayor and council that scrutinizes the quality of the development and the long-term environmental burden.

“We want a mayor and counsellor in place that will actually scrutinize these businesses, and just not be dazzle by the marketing and the scale of promises, and the billions in capital investment,” he said.

Reardon said while she understands the community’s mistrust on the process, she said with the project being a $2 billion build, the potential $13 million in annual tax income could be reinvested in the community, to rebuild trust and provide benefits to Lorneville.

On the other hand, Ogden said during the environmental review, the province must ensure the project meets the environmental standards and should be transparent if power supply is an issue that will be put back into the customers.

In an interview with Acadia Broadcasting last Friday, candidate Blaine Harris said that he fully opposes the project, and if elected mayor he will engage council to put a full-stop to all permits, and revisit the zoning for the Industrial park.

Municipal elections are set to take place on May 11.