Ontario is laying out new guidelines for the growing number of data centres looking to connect to the province's electricity grid.
The province says data centres will have to cover the costs associated with their energy use and could be placed in a new electricity rate class that would see them pay more than other large industrial users.
The framework also calls for environmental impacts to be minimized and for host communities to see benefits such as investments in local infrastructure.
The plan is open for public consultation for 30 days as Ontario faces growing pressure to establish rules around the energy-hungry facilities powering the artificial intelligence boom.
(Written by: Matt LeBlanc)