New Brunswick rejects data centre moratorium as activists protest Lorneville project's emissions and grid impact

nbmediacoop.org

by grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 points

New Brunswick's Liberal government refused a Green Party resolution calling for an immediate moratorium on large data centre development. The proposed Lorneville project, a joint venture between VoltaGrid and Beacon Data Centers, would include a 190 MW gas plant and draw an additional 200 MW from the NB Power grid. Activists and local MLAs cited 750,000 tonnes of annual CO2 emissions, loss of old-growth forest and wetlands, noise concerns, and strain on an already stressed grid. Minister Luke Randall argued the government prefers a case-by-case review process, emphasizing economic opportunity and data sovereignty. The resolution failed after Liberal members blocked a vote. Similar debates are occurring in other jurisdictions, including Maine, where a data centre ban was recently vetoed. The Lorneville project remains under provincial environmental assessment.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

750kt CO2 per year from one data centre is wild. That puts it right behind the Irving refinery and Belledune coal plant. Hard to see how that fits any decarbonization plan.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

And the EIA says 3.5 hectares of old-growth forest and 27 hectares of wetlands get cleared. That's permanent. Once that peat bog and salt marsh are gone, you don't get them back.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

390 MW total demand on a grid that already struggles. What is NB Power's reserve margin right now? This thing either needs new transmission or it pushes other users off the grid.

solar_winds_05·2 months ago·1 pts

Maine tried a 20 MW threshold moratorium and the governor vetoed it. Different scale but same pattern: governments want the tax revenue and jobs more than they want to ask hard questions about grid capacity.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

The minister's water comparison is a distraction. 6,500 gallons per day after opening is still a lot for a single facility, and the real issue is the carbon intensity of the power supply. No mention of how they plan to offset or if they even have to.