EDMONTON — The Alberta NDP took action on Thursday following a series of consultations with Albertans, calling for Premier Danielle Smith's government to pause the approval of new AI data centre projects until after the UCP establish an impact assessment framework and process. "This is amateur hour in a way that I've never seen before," said Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi during a press conference. "They had two years to get these frameworks in place, and they just didn't. And now they're backtracking furiously." .Nenshi's caucus has held a series of town halls across Alberta throughout August, and they said that Albertans raised questions about topics such as reclamation, water use, electricity needs, and the jobs the facilities will provide once built. "The UCP has waved these off," Nenshi said. The NDP said future data centre projects should be required to include community benefits, be located away from homes, minimize water use, have plans for both facility operation and land reclamation, respect privacy and data sovereignty, not increase utility prices, and mitigate emissions. "My experience in economic development shows that good economic development meets three criteria," Nenshi said. "It's very simple. It's got to create good jobs for people in Alberta.""You need regulatory certainty from the outset, so people know exactly what they have to jump through, and the benefits have to outweigh the costs-the financial, economic, environmental, and social costs. It's not complicated, and setting up that basic playing field makes it easier for everyone."Smith and her government claim to have already addressed many of the concerns raised by Nenshi, including a video posted earlier in August in which Smith addressed six common questions about AI data centres. "We're doing it differently in Alberta," said Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish in an interview with the Western Standard in July. "We didn't want to be first. We wanted to be the smartest.".Albertans have expressed frustration with the UCP's advocacy for Alberta to become an AI data centre hub. Residents of Sturgeon County, where Meta Platforms intends to build a $13 billion AI data centre, have raised concerns that the project will lead to higher utility costs and water shortages. Meta has refuted those concerns, saying that the facility will run off a private natural gas plant, and it will require less annual water than the average golf course because it will be cooled using a closed-loop system Nenshi said concerns like those are why his party is also calling on the government to require meaningful public consultation before approving a project. .The Alberta Utilities Commission rejected a proposal on Aug. 17 for a power plant intended to fuel a data centre in Olds after determining that the proposed facility location had no justification for being as close to the town. The UCP has said the AUC's decision is a good sign because it shows that Alberta's regulatory process works and that safeguards to protect Albertans exist. Nenshi argued otherwise, and said it shows the system's flaws and a lack of certainty for both residents and investors. "We need to take a pause," Nenshi said. "We need to get this right."Smith and Glubish will speak to Albertans about data centres during a virtual town hall on Thursday at 6 p.m.
