Proposed data centre will release 23 Hiroshima atomic bomb worth of energy a day

A proposed $70-billion data centre called Wonder Valley, backed by investor Kevin O’Leary, could become an unprecedented source of heat and emissions in northwestern Alberta. Utah State University physicist Robert Davies, who prepared a preliminary analysis for Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation using public information, estimates that at full operation it would release about 18 gigawatts of heat - equivalent to the energy of 23 Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs each day - and produce roughly 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, more than four per cent of Canada’s emissions. The facility is planned for the Municipal District of Greenview, about 42 kilometres south of Grande Prairie and within the First Nation’s traditional territory.

Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation is challenging the province’s decision to exempt the project from a full environmental impact assessment and is also seeking further consultation; separate court proceedings concern consultation and water rights. Davies argues that permits assessing individual components cannot evaluate the combined effects of a development on this scale. The province says it followed established legal procedures and that the project relies on proven power and water systems, while noting that permits and technical impact assessments will still be required. The company says it is consulting with Indigenous communities and complying with regulatory requirements. The Nation’s lawyer and chief argue that the project warrants more rigorous scrutiny and say the current process has made litigation necessary to secure a meaningful hearing.