MP for New Brunswick Southwest John Williamson rises during Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Thursday, April 16, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
ajwFREDERICTON - A New Brunswick member of Parliament is calling on the provincial government to reject a proposed artificial intelligence data centre in Saint John, warning that it could overwhelm the power grid.
Conservative MP John Williamson says the proposed AI centre will trigger electricity rate hikes for ratepayers across New Brunswick.聽
Williamson says the public utility NB Power lacks the necessary capacity to handle the facility's demand for 200 megawatts from the grid.聽
He laid out his opposition to Beacon Data Centers' project in a letter to Liberal Premier Susan Holt.聽
The New Brunswick Southwest MP also criticized Holt for highlighting the data centre project at a major Toronto investment summit earlier this week, even though it hasn't received provincial government approval.聽
The New Brunswick government says any new data centre must pay for the costs it creates and cannot lead to higher electricity rates.
Beacon AI says its project requires 390 megawatts of energy and that it could produce up to 190 megawatts on site.
Williamson said the company wasn't interested in generating all of its own power.聽
"I met with them and I raised this and they balked," he told 好色tvin an interview Friday, referencing a meeting he had with the company a several months ago.聽
That's why, he said, he wants the province "playing hardball" with companies that want to build data centres so that ratepayers are shielded from major price hikes.
This report by 好色tvwas first published Sept. 9, 2026.
Note to readers:This is a corrected story. An earlier version said that Willamson said the AI centre would trigger rate hikes for nearby residents. Power rates are set by a provincial regulator and a resident's proximity to the data centre would have no impact their power rate.
The 好色tv Press
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