A proposed data centre in Vulcan County is facing a judicial review next week as its local proponent, Eric Steeves, seeks to build support for the project. Steeves says the development could bring jobs and a new tax base to an agricultural region where his family has farmed for five generations, while nearby Little Bow Resort residents remain concerned about its effects on water, electricity, the environment and light pollution.

The site is about 180 kilometres southeast of Calgary and roughly four kilometres from the lakeside resort. Vulcan County council voted in June to rezone 238 hectares for future industrial development. Steeves envisions an eventual 400-megawatt facility that could provide as many as 200 jobs.

“I think there’s an opportunity here to complement rural areas with a tax base and jobs,” Steeves told CTV News on Friday. “I’m not a developer that’s looking for a quick flip.” He said the prospect of economic growth in an agriculturally languishing area is also personal motivation.

“There’s not a lot of entrepreneurs that will do something for free, but I also see the opportunity,” Steeves said. “The difference with this project is it’s from a local proponent. I see if we do this right, it’s a way to maximize local benefits for the community that I’ve been part of that has been struggling.”

Steeves has submitted a grid application and wants to begin seeking approvals for a power plant and substation in November. If that proceeds as planned, he hopes to submit a development permit application to the county in the spring. In the coming weeks, he plans to travel to Toronto, Las Vegas and San Francisco to find a future lessee for the centre.

Residents who live full time or part time at Little Bow Resort, downhill from the proposed site, have not been persuaded by the plans. Their concerns include the facility’s water demand and power use, environmental effects and light pollution. Sylvia Farrant, a neighbour involved in the opposition, said the slope and the water between the site and the resort heighten concerns about sound and light.

“But he’s up on a hill, and we’re at the bottom of the hill, and there’s water,” Farrant said. “Sound gets amplified across water. Light pollution gets amplified across the water.” She added: “The further away he goes, the happier we’re going to be.”

Steeves argues that concerns commonly raised about data centres do not apply in the same way to this proposal. He said the facility would draw water from nearby Travers Reservoir, and that technology has reduced water consumption in the area.

“Innovation and technology have reduced water usage (in this area),” he said. “So there’s more than enough water to go around: not only for more irrigation expansion, but for a project here.”

On electricity, Steeves said the project could help distribute a local surplus of power. He acknowledged prices could rise in the near term, but said he expects a more diversified electricity system to help prices level off over the longer term.

Resort residents interviewed by CTV News remain unconvinced. They point to examples, many in the United States, where data centres have raised electricity costs for taxpayers. Recent reporting in Alberta has also suggested that a new Meta facility north of Edmonton could contribute to higher power bills.

Farrant described Steeves as sincere about his aims but said residents want the facility placed elsewhere. “(Steeves) seems to be very genuine about what he’s trying to do for the agricultural community,” she said. “We’re just saying there’s a lot of land out here and you’ve got all these investors, there must be another piece of land where you can do the same thing.” She said a realtor had told her that if the project proceeds, none of the homes at Little Bow Resort would sell.

Farrant and other nearby residents have asked Alberta’s courts to overturn the county’s rezoning decision. Their judicial review application seeks to quash the rezoning and have any future consideration of the proposal take place through a “lawful, transparent, and procedurally fair process.” The residents are also calling on the provincial government to impose stricter rules on the data centre industry as more facilities receive approval.

Steeves told CTV News on Friday that he hopes to demonstrate that the proposal is more carefully planned than other projects of its kind. “My door is open,” he said. “I’m not here saying I’m just going to shove this down the path, I want to work with everyone. I’m willing to have those conversations.”

Based on reporting by CTV News Calgary.