A proposed solar and data processing development near La Corey has been put on hold after concerns from council and residents led to a decision being paused during a February 10 meeting.
MD council discussed the application for a small-scale project located about a half mile south of La Corey on Highway 41, which includes a 450-kilowatt solar installation across four acres and a 500-kilowatt data processing unit housed in a shipping container.
Residents and the council raised concerns about potential impacts on the power grid, the environment, drainage, and the purpose of the data processing. An MD resident was against the proposal, saying, “From what I understand, they can create heat waves, and that can travel for quite a distance. And they also burn insects and small birds. We dont’t need them burning the bees.”
Developer Neale Johannesson with 2756619 Alberta Ltd. described the project as small and said the facility would be used for cryptocurrency mining, also known as digital asset verification. “The whole idea of bitcoin and crypto is a system for owning value and moving value around, and that needs to be verified,” he said. “They are basically enhancing the blockchain (digital ledgers) for that purpose, and, of course, that can be used for good, and it can be used for bad. Whatever it is used for, that would be our intention.”
Council questioned tying the project into the electrical grid, with Councillor Ed Duchesne expressing concern about capacity. However, administration noted the application falls under minor rural industrial use, and the issues, such as power approvals and environmental matters, fall under provincial jurisdiction. Development officer Kristy Poirer said, “The data processing centre is effectively computers. The land use bylaw only contemplates that. It does not contemplate what the computers are doing.”
Council voted to table the decision, allowing the administration to gather more information, with the application expected to return for further discussion.
