The Town of Rocky Mountain House is moving aggressively to explore its potential as a future host of an AI data centre by committing a $20,000 investment to hire a consultant to prepare a feasibility study.
Acting Mayor Len Phillips says it’s a snooze-you-lose situation.
“The province is very committed to looking at AI data centres, we don’t want to be falling behind, we want to be on the leading edge when the province announces new projects,” he says. “[To have them] come to our areas as opposed to somewhere else.”
Councillor Dave Auld agreed, saying large projects all too often go to larger urban areas — Calgary, Edmonton, Fort Saskatchewan — and if smaller communities like Rocky aren’t pushing to be in the mix, he says, they could miss out.
Citing provincial documents, Councillor Dale Shippelt referred to a language that says municipal collaboration is “important” when considering AI data centre developments, adding that if Rocky identifies that it’s ready, it could “give us a leg up”.
Deputy Mayor Tina Hutchinson said moving forward with it now aligns with the town’s strategic plan of having plans “on the shelf”, and when opportunities come knocking, the town is ready.
With a town utilities presentation from Stantec fresh in mind, Hutchinson also brought up concerns if the town could even handle the increased stress on its utility infrastructure. CAO Dean Krause said any feasibility study would include requirements for water capacity, as well as recommendations for the size of data centre— as he says they can vary greatly in size.
Hutchinson pointed out that feasibility studies have borne fruit in the past, pointing to a previous one that successfully brought a craft brewer to the area. While it wasn’t established in town limits, she says it has nonetheless brought business and tourism to the region.
With unanimous consent, council resolved to spend $20,000 to hire a consultant to prepare a feasibility study on the project at its March 20 meeting. The money would come from council’s priority reserve fund.
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