Anthropic Canada Data Center Plan Still Needs Approvals

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Key Takeaways

• Anthropic confirmed a 20-year lease for the first 95 MW building at EverWind's planned Point Tupper campus in Nova Scotia, according to CBC. The full campus is planned at 420 MW, and everything beyond the lease is still conditional.
• EverWind estimates the campus would use about 100,000 litres of water per day at first and about 500,000 litres per day at full build-out.
• The grid operator's initial studies found both phases could be connected if upgrades are made. The Phase 2 study carries a preliminary, non-binding C$73.9 million estimate, and the operator said the studies are not final approval.
• The C$10 billion figure is EverWind's combined portfolio: more than C$8 billion for the data center and C$2 billion for four wind projects. Anthropic's lease value has not been disclosed.
• EverWind's proposed ratepayer and water agreement with the province is not final. Premier Tim Houston said on October 28 that he was willing to negotiate a binding one.

The proposed 420 MW campus in Nova Scotia would use about 500,000 litres of water per day at full build-out, according to EverWind. The first 95 MW phase is expected to use about 100,000 litres daily. That is the water side of the Anthropic Canada data center plan, and it is a company estimate, not a measured result.

Nothing is running yet. The first phase is targeted for late 2027 and an expansion for 2028. Both dates depend on commercial, technical and regulatory conditions.

For startup founders and operators, the story shows how AI compute (the computing power used to train and run AI models) is bought. Access is tied to long-term infrastructure contracts, power availability, grid-upgrade costs and local rules, not just software demand. The sections below separate what is signed, what is planned and what still needs approval.

The Anthropic 95 MW Lease Is Signed, but the Campus Is Not Built

Reuters reported on October 16, 2026, that Anthropic signed a lease with EverWind for data center capacity at Point Tupper, Nova Scotia. A company executive told Reuters this is the Claude maker's first data center agreement in Canada.

CBC later reported that Anthropic confirmed a 20-year lease for the first 95 MW building to power Claude. A megawatt (MW) is a unit of electric power. It is a rough way to describe how big a data center is.

Here is how the pieces fit together:

• Completed: the lease for the first 95 MW building. CBC describes it as company-confirmed.
• Planned: the first phase, targeted for late 2027, according to EverWind.
• Planned: a 325 MW expansion, targeted for 2028, bringing the campus to 420 MW.
• Not yet in place: the commercial, technical and regulatory conditions both phases depend on.

The 2027 and 2028 dates belong to two separate phases. The sources do not say either one has slipped, so comparing the years tells us nothing about delay.

EverWind's own October 16 announcement, per the briefing timeline, described the tenant as an unnamed frontier AI developer. Reuters reported the same day that the tenant was Anthropic. CBC and Data Centre Magazine later covered the lease. Data Centre Magazine, published October 19, describes the first-phase lease as company-reported.

Data Centre Magazine also reports that EverWind and Anthropic said the project would commit tens of millions of dollars to community priorities. That is a company-reported commitment, not a figure with a stated payment schedule.

Jacob Glick, Anthropic's head of public policy for Canada, told Reuters the company would protect ratepayers and water resources while making sure local communities benefit. That is a statement of intent. The binding terms are still being discussed, as covered below.

Source: EverWind Point Tupper announcement, October 16; CBC News on EverWind's proposed agreement, October 27; Data Centre Magazine, October 19. The Reuters report of October 16 is the source for the Glick statement and the "first in Canada" description. The briefing did not supply a direct link to that article.

EverWind's Point Tupper Data Center: C$10 Billion Is a Portfolio, Not a Lease Price

EverWind's October 16 announcement describes more than C$10 billion in planned private investment in Nova Scotia. It splits the money into two parts:

• More than C$8 billion to develop, build, own and finance the Point Tupper data center campus.
• C$2 billion for four onshore wind projects: Bear Lake, Windy Ridge, Kmtnuk and Upper Afton.

Reuters reported that EverWind calls the plan the largest privately funded investment in the province's history. That is EverWind's own characterization.

This is a company-reported plan. It is not a funding round, and it is not what Anthropic pays. The briefing is clear that Anthropic's lease value has not been disclosed. Treating C$10 billion as the lease price would be wrong.

The C$73.9 million figure that appears later in this story is a different kind of number. It is a preliminary grid-study estimate for equipment and infrastructure upgrades, not a total project cost.

EverWind also says negotiations are underway with a First Nations consortium led by Membertou Development Corporation for an ownership stake in the data center campus. That stake depends on completing the applicable agreements, so it is a negotiation, not a done deal.

The briefing also says EverWind signed the Government of Canada Responsible Data Centre Development Principles. The source map does not tie that claim to one page, so read it as an EverWind statement.

The employment numbers have the same limit. The briefing lists about 2,000 construction positions and 215 permanent operating positions as expected figures, again without a specific source page. Treat them as company expectations until a named source confirms them.

Source: EverWind Point Tupper announcement, October 16; CBC News on EverWind's proposed agreement, October 27. The "largest privately funded investment" description comes from Reuters' October 16 report of EverWind's claim (no direct link supplied).

Nova Scotia AI Data Center Water Use: 100,000 Litres a Day, Then 500,000

Water is the most concrete number in the plan, so it is worth reading carefully. EverWind says the proposed closed-loop cooling design is expected to use about 100,000 litres per day initially. At 420 MW, it expects about 500,000 litres per day.

A closed-loop system circulates the same cooling water in a sealed circuit instead of drawing fresh water for every cycle. Even so, the system still needs some water.

Three limits apply to these figures:

• They are company estimates for a design, not measurements from a running facility.
• The 100,000-litre figure belongs to the first phase, which is not built yet.
• The 500,000-litre figure assumes the full 420 MW campus is built, which depends on approvals.

Reuters noted that data centers have drawn criticism for heavy power and water use and for the strain they put on local infrastructure. That is why the water numbers matter. A proposal to cap or report water use only means something if it is written down and enforceable.

That is the point of the proposed agreement with the province, covered below. For now, the water commitments come from the company and are not yet bound by a final deal with the government.

Source: EverWind Point Tupper announcement, October 16. The criticism of data center power and water use comes from Reuters' October 16 report (no direct link supplied).

EverWind Point Tupper Data Center: Grid Studies Say "Possible," Not "Approved"

A data center this size needs a lot of electricity, and it has to connect to the provincial grid. The Nova Scotia Independent Energy System Operator (IESO) studies how new projects affect the grid. Its initial studies found that both phases could be integrated without adverse effects if specified changes are made, according to CBC's October 29 report.

The same report carries an important caution. The Phase 2 study included a preliminary, non-binding C$73.9 million estimate for the listed equipment and infrastructure upgrades. That estimate excludes possible additional upgrades in neighbouring areas. So C$73.9 million is a starting point, not a final bill.

The IESO also said approval to connect does not follow from a single study. It said more analysis and real-world testing are required. The studies are not final approval.

What EverWind says it will cover

EverWind says it will pay connection, network-upgrade and other electricity-system costs attributable to the project. CBC's October 28 report says EverWind and Anthropic officials pledged to cover costs tied to necessary grid upgrades. These are company commitments, and the details are still being negotiated.

EverWind also plans several hundred megawatt-hours of battery storage and the ability to reduce or stop drawing from the grid when needed. A megawatt-hour (MWh) measures stored energy. Data Centre Magazine describes this as a design meant to cut or halt grid draw during peak times. It is a plan, not a proven feature.

Why one expert urges caution

McGill University electrical-engineering professor Francois Bouffard told CBC the analysis has significant blind spots. The data center's internal equipment is still unknown, and that equipment shapes how the facility behaves on the grid.

He described current modeling of AI data centers as rudimentary and said more conclusive studies are needed.

His view is one expert reaction. It is not a consensus.

Source: CBC News on IESO initial studies, October 29; CBC News on Premier Houston and grid-cost pledges, October 28; EverWind Point Tupper announcement, October 16; Data Centre Magazine, October 19.

Ratepayer Promises and Environmental Review Are Still Being Negotiated

Ratepayers are people and businesses who pay electricity bills. Many Nova Scotians want to know the project will not push their rates up. EverWind's answer so far is a proposal, not a finished contract.

The proposed agreement

CBC reported on October 27 that EverWind proposed a memorandum of understanding with the province. An MOU is a written agreement of intent. This one is meant to bind commitments on power rates and water use.

CBC reported that it was not a final agreement. On October 28, Premier Tim Houston said he was willing to negotiate a binding agreement covering water use and protection of power rates, but called the process early.

Opposition lawmakers called for stronger written or legislative protections. Community critics have sought a binding agreement, dedicated legislation or fuller environmental review. Provincial officials and the premier have pointed instead to existing approval processes and the company's pledge to pay attributable grid costs.

The environmental assessment question

Nova Scotia officials told CBC the project does not automatically trigger an environmental assessment under the current framework. An environmental assessment is a formal review of a project's effects on land, water and air.

According to the briefing's reading of CBC, EverWind has applied for industrial approval for backup diesel generators. It may also seek approval to transfer part of an earlier environmental assessment to this project.

So the project is not skipping review. The review path is just narrower than some critics want.

Where independent views stand

There is no broad expert consensus here, and independent analysis is thin. The IESO says more work is needed. Bouffard says the modeling has gaps. Government points to existing processes. Opposition and community voices want more.

The fair summary is that the project is economically significant but technically and regulatorily conditional. It is not an approved or operating 420 MW facility.

Source: CBC News on EverWind's proposed agreement, October 27; CBC News on Premier Houston's response, October 28; CBC News on IESO initial studies, October 29.

Why Anthropic Is Signing Long Leases for Compute

Reuters reported that Anthropic spent $7.33 billion on computing and infrastructure last year, three times its 2024 level. That helps explain why a company would sign a 20-year lease for capacity that does not exist yet.

Reuters also reported that Anthropic is preparing for a US IPO (an initial public offering, where a company first sells shares to the public) that could value it at more than $2 trillion. Those are reported plans and possible outcomes. No IPO has happened in the material provided here.

New York City Comptroller Mark Levine has urged Anthropic to delay the offering over safety and governance concerns. Reuters has published separate stories on Anthropic's IPO prospectus and on Levine urging a pause.

These details give context for demand, but they do not tell us how much Anthropic will pay under the Nova Scotia lease. That figure is undisclosed. They also do not show the Point Tupper campus will be approved or finished on schedule.

Data Centre Magazine reports the facility is intended to support Claude and Canadian and international customers, according to the company-reported lease details. That points to a broader customer base than Anthropic alone, though the sources do not break it down.

Source: Reuters report on the Anthropic lease, October 16 (no direct link supplied) for the spending and IPO figures; Reuters on Levine urging a pause, October 15; Reuters on Anthropic's IPO prospectus, September 28; Data Centre Magazine, October 19.

What This Means for Startups and Small Businesses

You will not sign a 95 MW lease. But the way this project is structured teaches practical lessons about relying on AI infrastructure.

• Expect compute to be a long-term commitment. A 20-year lease for the first phase shows that big AI providers lock in capacity years ahead. Build your own plans around usage you can estimate, not guesses.
• Read "planned" and "signed" differently. The lease is signed. The campus, the grid connection and the binding ratepayer deal are not finished. Ask your own vendors which parts of a promised service are confirmed and which are targets.
• Watch for pass-through costs. Grid upgrades, water and power protections all carry costs. EverWind says it will cover costs attributable to the project. Whether those costs eventually show up in prices is a fair question to ask any infrastructure supplier.
• Check where your data and workloads will live. The facility is intended to serve Canadian and international customers. If you work with regulated or location-sensitive data, ask providers about hosting regions and how they handle outages.
• Do not assume capacity arrives on schedule. Late 2027 and 2028 are targets, and approvals could change timing. Have a fallback plan if a provider's new capacity is not ready when you need it.
• Put your own house in order first. Your costs are not only in the cloud. Manual work, repeated data entry and slow handoffs eat into margins. Automating those tasks is often a faster win than any infrastructure change.

Founders in Canada should also watch how the Nova Scotia talks end. A binding agreement on rates and water would set an example for other provinces and other projects.

Source: CBC News on EverWind's proposed agreement, October 27; CBC News on IESO initial studies, October 29; EverWind Point Tupper announcement, October 16.

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