10 data-centre projects interested in connecting to N.B. Power grid, utility says

New Brunswick's power utility says it is seeing interest from data centre developers in connecting to the province's power system. Do you know how many data centre applications are in for service from NB Power at the moment? I don't know how many. I know there are many. And as Mr. Covey... Would it be a double digit number? I think probably, like I want to say 10 probably makes sense, but I couldn't give you an exact number. NB Power later confirmed that number in a statement. The utility's statement follows recent weeks of two potential projects becoming known to New Brunswickers. One project by a company called FTL, or Faster Than Light, for Miramichi, and another potential large-scale project by Cross River Infrastructure Partners. This is a second project for St. John. Beacon AI Centers and Volta Grid was the first large project announced for the city in 2025 to significant pushback from a nearby community called Lorneville. The utility says that the applications don't mean that the projects will necessarily be realized. I think you would find that many of these data centers would have their, they would be in several utilities' queues. So they're shopping around. They're shopping around. My understanding. The utility would not name other applications in its queue. As in other areas, data centers have become a contentious topic in New Brunswick, with multiple upcoming events planned within the span of days. Currently, the proponent for the Miramichi project is holding open houses to hear resident concerns. The Fredericton company says it wants to build trust with Miramichi residents. We're committed to being as transparent as possible without giving away intellectual property that we've designed either for ourselves or with some of our suppliers and partners. But we're also willing to put our money where our mouth is here. We're willing to be accountable to what we're doing in what we're building. A number of groups in St. John are holding an event to provide information on data centres. We see all these videos of city halls in the United States where people are getting into brawls and being removed by security and stuff like that. Like that's not that's not at all what this is about or the the flavour of the conversations that are unfolding across Canada. The event is open to opponents, supporters and those on the fence of the data center issue. We're just looking for people to meet us in the room and have these conversations because they do need to be had there and they're being had across Canada for good reason. Opportunities New Brunswick says it's seeing significant interest from data center developers. The department did not provide a number of potential projects or companies nor targeted locations despite repeated requests from CBC News.