When Amazon's new data centre in Varennes opens, the American multinational will not pay to connect the facility to Quebec's power grid. Instead, Hydro-Québec has volunteered to shoulder the $2 million cost on behalf of the online-shopping giant.
A source at the provincial crown corporation told the Journal de Montréal that after a few years, that money will be recovered once Amazon starts paying for its electricity use at the 155,000 square-foot facility.
Two more data centres, each worth $81 million, could eventually supplement the Varennes site, part of a planned $250 million investment in the province over the next few years. If constructed, those other data centres could similarly be connected to the province's power system for free, too.
Quebec's electricity utility has set aside a total of 100 megawatts for use by Amazon. The first Varennes facility is expected to only have a capacity of 30 megawatts.