Quebec groups call for a public debate and rules for data centres as Hydro-Québec puts their 2026 use at 1.9 TWh, CBC reports

What changed

CBC News reported on 10 November that citizens' groups, environmental associations and IT experts want Quebec to hold a public debate and set a clear framework for data centres, with more than a dozen new projects awaiting provincial authorisation. Hydro-Québec counts roughly 80 data centres operating in the province and says 3.9% of its 2026 sales to industry, 1.9 TWh, go to data centres; its supply plan forecasts provincial electricity demand rising by more than 30% by 2041, partly because of data centres. Équiterre is asking for a province-wide moratorium, and in Sherbrooke, where residents have petitioned against Keel Infrastructure's plan to turn three cryptomining sites into an AI data centre, the mayor announced a temporary moratorium on 26 October and a week later said the council needed more information before imposing it. This is CBC's report.

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