Planning documents reveal layout of $12 billion data centre near Regina

Newly released documents outline the scale and specifics of Bell Canada's 300-megawatt AI data centre near Regina. Wayne Mantyka reports.

The Rural Municipality (RM) of Sherwood has received documents detailing what will become Canada’s largest data centre, set to be constructed on the outskirts of Saskatchewan’s capital.

On March 16, Bell Canada CEO Mirko Bibic announced plans to build a 300-megawatt AI data centre in the Rural Municipality (RM) of Sherwood, near Regina.

The “Sherwood Data Centre,” as it’s called in the planning documents, is described as “multi-phase industrial campus” set to cover nearly 160 acres.

The core campus will consist of the primary data centre facilities arranged symmetrically around a central administration building. The campus’s power sources will be housed on the western part of the site and will include “a renewable energy system, a private SaskPower-linked electrical substation, and a future natural gas plant.”

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A landscaped visual buffer berm will span the facility’s eastern edge to mitigate “physical and visual impacts on adjacent private lands.” The core facilities will be enclosed in secure fencing and controlled vehicle entry points.

According to the report, the project is being funded “entirely by the developer” without public subsidy. It is being designed to be operationally self-sufficient and will not rely on the RM’s existing servicing capacity.

In total, the report outlines 15 aspects of the project’s planning – from water infrastructure to lighting spill and acoustic management.

The centre will utilize air-cooled, closed-loop chilling technology - meaning the system does not consume or evaporate water to reject heat to the atmosphere. Once the system is filled during commissioning, it will remain entirely sealed, according to the report.

As a result, the facility’s water connection to the municipality will be sized to support “standard domestic use and essential fire protection requirements.”

Significant roadway upgrades are planned to accommodate increased traffic during construction. Several grid roads surrounding the site will see changes, with the main improvements focused on upgrading Park Street to a primary weight asphalt route.

According to the report, care is also being taken in terms of noise and environmental effects.

These include proactive noise and air testing and the selection of low-noise cooling equipment in addition to making sure the noisy components are as far away from neighbouring properties as possible.

The planners also promised to implement a “zero-impact” stormwater management strategy to ensure no effects will be felt by infrastructure located downstream – such as the Wascana Country Club.

On the topic of lighting spill, the plans include measures to preserve the “dark-sky” integrity the RM through special fixtures and glare control shields.

Construction is expected to support more than 800 jobs, with 80 full-time positions being created once the campus is up and running.

The project is also expected to generate “significant” provincial sales tax revenue – first through the construction phase with materials and contracted services, and second through the operation of the facility and the “regular refresh of high-value AI computing infrastructure.”

“Given the scale of the proposed campus, this includes the periodic replacement of AI chips and servers representing many billions of dollars in equipment over time,” the report read. “As a result, the provincial tax benefit is not limited to initial construction but is expected to continue throughout the operating life of the facility.”

The planners added that the Sherwood Data Centre will help position the RM as a “strategic location” for advanced digital infrastructure.

“The campus is being planned to integrate responsibly into the surrounding area through landscaped buffers, controlled site access, and compliance with applicable environmental and development requirements,” the plans read. “It is a low-impact, high-value form of development that aligns with long-term regional growth objectives.”

The proposed facility is part of Bell Canada’s bid to become the nation’s leading provider of “sovereign” AI compute.

According to Bell, the build is the largest purpose-built data centre in Canada and will bring $12 billion in investment to the province – one of the largest single investments in Saskatchewan’s history.

The facility will be built in partnership with George Gordon First Nation, as George Gordon Developments owns land near the site of the future data centre.

Construction is scheduled to start in the spring and will come online in stages, beginning in the first half of 2027.

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