San Francisco artificial intelligence firm Anthropic has signed a 20-year lease for a massive $10-billion data centre campus in Point Tupper, Nova Scotia, as the developer faces a separate land-fee dispute in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The artificial intelligence developer behind the Claude chatbot has secured its first known data centre capacity in Canada. San Francisco-based Anthropic signed a long-term agreement for a facility to be built and operated in Point Tupper, Nova Scotia, by the green power provider EverWind Fuels. The sprawling campus is projected to cost $10 billion to fully develop. $8 billion is directed into the data centre itself. Another $2 billion is dedicated to expanding EverWind’s onshore wind energy portfolio across the province.
Point Tupper Campus Draws Power by 2027
Construction work has already begun on the site just outside Port Hawkesbury in Cape Breton. The site utilizes an industrial property that once hosted an oil refinery and is situated near the 150MW coal-powered Point Tupper Generating Station, which Nova Scotia Power plans to convert to natural gas by 2029.
The initial phase of the campus will draw 95 megawatts and is scheduled to come online in late 2027. A second phase adding 325 megawatts is targeted for 2028, subject to commercial, technical, and regulatory conditions.
The campus will also incorporate a closed-loop cooling system drawing from Landrie Lake.
Point Tupper has supported industry in the Strait Region for more than 50 years. Today’s announcement represents major new investment in Nova Scotia’s digital and energy infrastructure and highlights the role Nova Scotians can play in driving Canada’s renewed economic ambitions, marking a new chapter for the site and creating opportunities for rural Nova Scotia.
Trent Vichie, founder and CEO of EverWind
Both developers have committed to funding all connection, upgrade, and power-system costs attributed to the project to safeguard local electricity ratepayers from rate hikes.
Protesters and Municipal Bodies Challenge Data Centres
More than 100 people marched to Province House to protest the development. Student Rebecca Demmings told demonstrators that a data centre ranks at the bottom of the province’s priorities.
The provincial New Democratic Party, led by Claudia Chender, called for legislation to protect ratepayers from risks to power rates and fresh water supplies. Municipal bodies like Cumberland County voted to initiate a moratorium on data centre construction while developing local rules.
Today’s announcement represents major new investment in Nova Scotia’s digital and energy infrastructure. Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston expressed caution in June regarding power protection before fully embracing the sprawling development as the largest private investment in provincial history.
Jacob Glick, Anthropic’s head of public policy in Canada, noted that the company and developer signed onto Canada’s Responsible Data Centre Development Principles to address resource and energy concerns.
This is a big day for Nova Scotia. Today, I joined EverWind as they announced plans for more than $10 billion in private investment in Nova Scotia. The investment includes a new data centre campus in Point Tupper and in wind energy projects across Nova Scotia. Together, these… pic.twitter.com/XBB8s7QUuP
EverWind Disputes Crown Land Reservation Fees
The initial 2023 reservation covered nearly 2,700 square kilometres and carried annual fees exceeding $11.4 million. Following repeated requests, the government reduced the reserve area to roughly 1,800 square kilometres in April 2025.
EverWind never signed a Crown land reservation agreement, accepted the province’s proposed reservation fees, or made any contractual commitment to pay the amounts now being claimed.
Matthew Tinari, EverWind’s chief financial and strategy officer