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After Councillor Chad Falkenberg’s recent data centre tour drew considerable discussion on Facebook, I invited him to share what he saw and learned with LarkSPUR readers. What I Saw at a Data Centre – Brooks City Councillor Chad Falkenberg: After attending the local information session put on by Brooks Newell Region, I toured a data centre operated by one of the companies that was there. Some of the biggest concerns I have heard: They consume an insane amount of water. It would severely impact our area’s drinking water and irrigation supply The noise from them is incredibly loud The vibrations scare the wildlife away They consume so much energy that our power bills will go through the roof They will be built next to neighbourhoods, devaluing homes
When we arrived, one thing stuck in my mind: “It was just a warehouse.” While waiting at the highly secured entrance, we heard no sound from the building and felt no vibrations. It was over 30°C, when cooling equipment would be working hardest. At the back, we could hear the exhaust fans, but they were not really loud. Inside, the facility used closed-loop air cooling. We were told that any new centre the company built would use a closed-loop glycol system, much like a skating rink, with water needed only for sinks and toilets. The centre also had large diesel generators for backup power, but the operators said they generally run only a couple of times a year. Data centres can consume more energy than the entire City of Brooks. We were told Alberta’s rules are intended to prevent that demand from driving up other customers’ power bills. No data centre has yet been proposed for Brooks, but I expect one eventually will be. “I only ask that people reading this keep an open mind as we go through this process.” If an operator follows our laws, I believe a data centre could benefit Brooks and the region through tax revenue and employment. * Brooks has no data centre proposal. The City has adopted a Data Centre Bylaw.
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