An air quality expert says Spruce Lake’s proposed data centre environmental impact assessment missed key data.
Ann Jamieson, a recently retired atmospheric scientist and air quality dispersion modeller, argued the assessment failed to account for nearby pollution sources, particularly the Coleson Cove generating station.
She said that’s essential to understanding the project’s impact on local air quality.
Jamieson has more than 45 years of experience as a consultant for industry, and as a government regulator, primarily working in Alberta.
An environmental impact assessment of the $2-billion project, proposed by Calgary-based Beacon AI Centres and Texas-based Voltagrid, found it to have a low impact on air quality.
The report concluded that maximum predicted concentrations would remain at or below 28.8 per cent of applicable standards.
However, Jamieson said that conclusion is based on incomplete modelling.
She explained that standard practice requires combining emissions from both new developments and existing sources to assess cumulative impacts. In this case, that would include modelling Coleson Cove’s emissions alongside those from the proposed data centre.
Instead, the assessment modelled only emissions from the project itself. Existing pollution levels were estimated using data from a single monitoring station — an approach Jamieson said is unlikely to capture peak emissions.
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“When you use monitoring data, you are only looking at the wind direction, and wind speed that blew the Coleson Cove plume directly to that monitoring trailer,” she explained. “There are many wind directions, many wind speeds, and many atmospheric conditions that occur over time, and the modelling will take that into account, but the monitoring data will not.”
Jamieson also criticized the modelling method used in the report. She said the assessment relied on AERMOD, a common dispersion model, rather than CALPUFF, which is better suited for coastal environments.
Because Coleson Cove has a high exhaust stack and is located near the coast, she said a more complex model is needed to account for coastal fumigation effects — where shifting winds and tides can bring emissions quickly down to ground level.
AERMOD may be appropriate in other contexts, she added, but not for a site located roughly seven kilometres from a large generating station.
Government stands by review process
Jamieson raised her concerns in a letter to municipal and provincial officials.
In the provincial government’s response shared by Jamieson via social media on May 29, Environment Minister Gilles LePage said the province’s Technical Review Committee found the assessment methods consistent with “established best practices and current regulatory expectations.”
The department also defended the use of monitored background data to estimate cumulative pollution, calling it a “standard and widely accepted approach,” particularly when detailed emissions data for all sources is not readily available.
Jamieson disputed that claim, noting that Coleson Cove reports its emissions annually through the federal National Pollutant Release Inventory. She said that data could have been incorporated into the modelling.
She also requested access to the assessment’s input and output datasets to verify the findings. The department declined, saying it does not typically require such data unless specific concerns arise during the review process.
In an email statement to Acadia Broadcasting on June 4, Department of Environment and Local Government spokesperson Vicky Lutes said clarifications regarding air quality considerations, including but not limited to air dispersion modelling inputs, have been requested from the proponents and would be made public once avaible, but those responses have not yet been shared.
LePage also encouraged Jamieson to reach out to the proponents of the project directly.
Acadia Broadcasting reached out to Nathan Ough and Joseph Shovlin, Voltagrid and Beacon AI’s respective co-founders, to request the data, and ask why the emissions of Coleson Cove weren’t modelled on June 6 but did not receive a response.
Outdated standards a broader concern
Beyond the assessment itself, Jamieson said the project highlights broader issues with New Brunswick’s air quality regulations.
She noted that evaluating projects in isolation has not been standard practice in most jurisdictions for more than 15 years, particularly when other emitters operate at least within five kilometres.
While the proposed facility may meet provincial standards on its own, she said it’s unclear whether it would still comply when combined with maximum emissions from Coleson Cove.
Jamieson stressed the need for a more thorough study to protect “the most sensitive of species.”
“Some of the most sensitive species are aquatic species, and so it’s important to make sure these are protected, especially in an area like Lorneville, where there are several wetlands,” she said.
Jamieson also raised concerns that the generating station could operate more frequently to meet increased demand from the development. The data centre is expected to require 390 megawatts of power, with 190 megawatts supplied by a proposed gas plant and the remainder potentially sourced from NB Power’s grid.
Coleson Cove typically runs during peak-demand periods — usually between December and April — and is otherwise mostly idle.
In that scenario, she said, modelling should incorporate “worst-case” emissions from Coleson Cove using its highest-emitting fuel.
The province’s standards themselves are also outdated, she added. New Brunswick has not updated its air quality limits since passing the Clean Air Act in 1997 and does not have its own dispersion modelling protocols.
By comparison, other jurisdictions have adopted stricter standards. For example, New Brunswick’s limit for nitrogen oxide concentrations is 400 micrograms per cubic metre, while Alberta’s is 300.
“Before the government approves any major facility, they need to improve their air quality assessment, protocols, and bring the air quality standards to date,” she said. “If they don’t everything that gets approved now will be grandfathered and it’ll be allowed to emit more than what the government now recognizes should be the standard.”
She also called for more comprehensive emissions monitoring across the province to ensure accurate data is available for future assessments.
Province reviewing air quality rules
Since 2023, the province has been considering modernizing the act’s standards, based on current science and technology, and to also strengthen the rules that protect air quality for communities across the province.
Recently, the Department of Environment and Local Government released a report summarizing feedback from more than 500 New Brunswickers, including First Nations, members of the public and stakeholders.
The report found low public awareness of the Clean Air Act, with 64 per cent of respondents unfamiliar with it. Many also described existing data as difficult to access or understand and expressed low confidence in current monitoring and reporting.
Other concerns included weak enforcement, a need for stronger air quality objectives and calls for independent verification of industry-reported emissions.
Indigenous participants advocated for a “two-eyed seeing” approach that incorporates both Indigenous and Western perspectives in environmental decision-making.
The province said it plans to use that feedback to update standards, expand the list of regulated pollutants and develop a science-based implementation plan, while continuing public consultations.
Jamieson argued those updates should be completed before considering large-scale industrial projects.
She is calling for a moratorium on developments she believes are “questionable” until stronger assessment protocols are in place.
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“I’m all for industrial development in New Brunswick,” she said. “I just want to make sure it’s done in as clean a manner possible.”
The proposed data centre is currently under regulatory review. If approved, construction could begin later this year, with operations expected to start in 2028.
