DAYS after the Government announced proposals to construct artificial intelligence (AI) data centres in Trinidad and Tobago, growing public concern over the possible environmental cost and strain on the country’s utilities saw thousands supporting a petition to suspend the projects pending consultation.
Within 24 hours of its launch, the change.org petition, which seeks to halt approvals for the proposed construction of a 300MW data centre to be developed by Ernst & Young LLP and a proposed 150MW artificial intelligence infrastructure and data-centre facility with potential expansion to 500MW by Hummingbird AI Holdings LLC, garnered at least 8,500 signatures yesterday.
The Government over the weekend announced two Memoranda of Understanding on the development of these data centres, at a time when international tech companies continue to spend on AI-related spending globally as part of a development boom, despite backlash on data-centre construction. Analysts at Morgan Stanley estimate that tech companies, governments and their partners will spend nearly US$3 trillion on data centres by 2028, some in pursuit of Artificial General Intelligence (machines that match or exceed human cognitive abilities) and improved user experiences.
According to a Government release over the weekend, the proposed data centres to be built in Trinidad and Tobago could possibly create 5,000 jobs.
Bioacoustician and conservation researcher Syam Nath, who started the petition, questioned the construction of hyperscalers (data centres operating in excess of 20MW) and known to consume vast amounts of fresh water as part of their cooling systems.
The petition asks for the suspension of development, until “comprehensive environmental, water resource, and infrastructure assessments have been completed, independently reviewed, and made available for public consultation”.
Nath told the Express yesterday that in light of the state of emergency and corresponding protest restrictions he felt it was important to document the concerns among the population.
“A lot of people were upset and there was a reaction from people not knowing what the next step was. I am very glad that I did this, and for it to get this response,” Nath said.“Everybody is really riled up. We need to try something and at least we have these names. I don’t know if we will call for a public meeting where we can go and ask questions but this is the first thing we can do.”
He added: “The Government may underestimate the people but we have a few thousand names and they may see that we are not going to be taken for fools.”
Concern for marine life
Nath, who has done underwater research, said the development was a cause for concern for both humans and marine life who depend on water to survive.
Particularly, he said, endangered fresh water species, animals that use echo-location and whose habitat could potentially be compromised by loud or heated data-centres, ought to be considered.
“I do know our dolphins already have fungal infection only found in dolphins and humans. In the Gulf (of Paria) they already have this and everything washes off into the water. My main concern is the environmental effects from chemicals and pollution. The liquid that cools these centres is possibly going to wash off into the ocean,” he argued.
“What we do know about data centres is that they do make a lot of noise. If they are close to the ocean they are going to radiate a lot of noise and radiate into the ocean and may cause issues for fishes, bats and birds who communicate with each other via echolocation. It may affect the quality of life for the people who may have to live there,” he added.
Nath continued: “We are very concerned about the manatees…the river systems are all connected and it can impact this already endangered population, of which we have about three dozen still holding on by a thread,” he said.
He called for proper analysis to be done.
“We need to look at the bigger picture of the environment and assess what’s happening. We need to know everything about where the water is going to go and where it is going to come from. I saw people speak about using sewage water but it’s going to take a lot of energy to do. Is it going to be recycled?” he asked.
Minister of Public Utilities Barry Padarath said yesterday the country is able to meet the demands and produce more in the utility sector without disrupting water supply to citizens.
Asked by the Express yesterday if any further information could be given on the potential water and electricity demands of these centres, Padarath said a cluster of ministries had been established by Cabinet months ago to identify the requirements for these projects.
Padarath, who said he was not aware of public backlash on the matter, added, “We have identified short-term and long-term provisions for these data centres in the utility sector.”
Trinidad Express
