Public hearings are underway for a proposed data centre and natural gas power plant east of Calgary. The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) began hearing from the project’s proponents and landowners Tuesday. Proponents say the development would generate millions of dollars in GDP growth for Alberta, while some nearby landowners say the potential impacts outweigh the benefits. James Kyle and his family have owned about 550 acres of farmland in the area for more than 100 years. “It’s Class 2 land. Only eight per cent of Alberta is actually made of Class 2 land, which is some of the richest farmland we have in the province,” Kyle said. Kyle said he is not opposed to natural gas power plants. His farm is about five kilometres from the Shepard Energy Centre, which has a generating capacity of about 850 megawatts. “We can even hear it when the turbines spin,” he said. However, Kyle said he has concerns about a proposed natural gas plant and AI data centre less than a kilometre from his property. The project is expected to have a generating capacity of about 1,500 megawatts. “It’s just not good for our health and not good for Calgarians’ health that are eating our food,” Kyle said. Representatives from the AUC, Beacon AI and lawyers representing landowners took part in the first day of the online hearing Tuesday. Joseph Shovlin, co-founder and executive vice-president of Beacon AI, said the site was selected based on environmental considerations and its proximity to existing infrastructure. “The project site was carefully selected based on environmental considerations, access and proximity to existing infrastructure such as roads, natural gas lines and power transmission lines,” Shovlin said. The project would include a 25-year natural gas power plant to support a new data centre about three kilometres east of Calgary. Plans call for about 100 natural gas generators, a treatment system and air-cooled radiators. The facility would have a generating capacity of about 1,500 megawatts. Shovlin said the decision to use onsite natural gas generation was driven by provincial policy and constraints on the power grid. “The shift to onsite natural gas generation was therefore a necessity of provincial policy and grid constraints,” he said. Beacon AI said it is taking steps to address concerns about water use, wetlands and noise. Water use is a major concern for Kyle, who said the more-than-900-acre development will be taxing on the water supply for farmers. “We’ve had multiple farmers in the area have to dig their wells deeper because their wells have dried up,” he said. “The farmers in the area are all seriously concerned about how detrimental this will be to their livelihoods and to the food they grow for Alberta families.” The AUC hearings continued Wednesday. “We take extremely seriously and will work very constructively with all stakeholders, including Rocky View County as a very important touchpoint,” Shovlin said.
