Here’s how Saskatchewan will power Bell Canada’s AI data centre near Regina

A newly announced AI centre is drawing attention about energy use and power supply for the province. Jacob Carr reports.

Saskatchewan’s Crown corporations are providing more details on how the province is preparing to host what will be Canada’s largest purpose-built Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centre.

Earlier this week, Bell CEO Mirko Bibic announced plans to build a 300-megawatt AI data centre in the Rural Municipality (RM) of Sherwood, near Regina.

Saskatchewan’s Minister of Crown Investments Corporation Jeremy Harrison has said the power needed for the project is readily available, adding the province is in a prime position to take on a development of this scale.

“We are really in a unique position to actually [be able to] allocate power for projects, whether it be uranium mines ... or whether it be a new potash mine, whether it be a copper mine, we are in that unique position to be able to partner with Bell on a project like this,” he said.

Both SaskEnergy and SaskPower have issued statements outlining how the data centre will be supplied with power.

According to SaskEnergy, the corporation is developing natural gas infrastructure to serve “Bell’s onsite gas-fired power generation” through its subsidiary, TransGas Limited.

The work includes building a new high-pressure pipeline and a high-volume metre station.

SaskPower has said its current generation capacity will be able to support the first 200 megawatts of the construction - which is slated to be completed by the end of the year.

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Phase two of construction will provide the final 100 megawatts by the end of 2027.

The 300 megawatts (MW) required to run the facility accounts for around five per cent of Saskatchewan’s total grid capacity of 5,977 MW.

According to the Crown, the new power generation will come from a mix of natural gas, wind and solar.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe added the data centre will help grow the province’s job market.

“Traditionally this province is a provider of developing the natural resources that we have in mining, oil production and, of course, agriculture,” he said.

“This is new for our province, and I think it’s significant in diversifying our jobs and our opportunity as Saskatchewan and Regina residents.”

The provincial government says the new centre is expected to create more than 800 jobs during construction and at least 80 full-time on-site positions once completed.

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