Nova Scotia premier defends changing his stance on welcoming data centre proposals

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston is defending his decision to change his stance on when data centres might be considered for approval to operate in the province.

In June, the premier said it was too soon to turn his government’s full attention to the matter.

He said data centres wouldn’t receive approval until the province could supply their considerable energy demands.

At the time, the premier said discussions about data centres would have to wait until the province had completed major energy generation projects, including the ambitious Wind West offshore wind farms.

Late last month, however, Houston softened his position, saying data centres are becoming critical pieces of Canadian infrastructure.

He said he became more open to considering data centre proposals after Ottawa rolled out new rules for the sector.

Houston said today the federal government’s focus on data sovereignty played a role in changing his mind.

Data centres, used in artificial intelligence and other high-tech industries, are massive operations that require an immense amount of electricity to run and cool off computer servers.