IREN has selected Canal Flats, British Columbia, for an AI data-centre build planned for 2027, according to Ad Hoc News. The reported plans include closed-loop cooling and no additional power supply or local cooling water, making this a notable expansion beyond the company’s better-known Texas projects.
IREN Watch analysis
What happened
Ad Hoc News says the buildings would be built behind IREN’s existing Canal Flats campus. The report attributes the site and project details to the Columbia Valley Pioneer. Construction is expected to generate at least 200 short-term jobs next year, with dozens of permanent roles to follow, the outlet says.
The planned facility is not yet an operating data centre. The report describes construction as a plan, and its job estimates do not establish that the project is under way or completed.
Why it matters
Canal Flats would add another location to IREN’s AI infrastructure expansion, with reported power and cooling arrangements that differ from the familiar story of data centres demanding more of both. The practical test is whether those plans become working capacity and, eventually, recognised revenue. A site announcement is a start, not a server humming in the rack.
Our read
The useful detail is the combination of a new location and specific infrastructure conditions. Closed-loop cooling and no additional power supply are meaningful claims, but the report does not explain the engineering or establish how the project will meet its needs in practice. Investors and local residents will need more than a tidy headline to judge the build.
What to watch
- Whether IREN confirms the project’s scope and construction schedule.
- What the closed-loop cooling and power arrangements involve in practice.
- Whether construction starts and the expected jobs materialise.
Discussion spark: Should data-centre developers have to publish detailed power and water plans before a project is approved, or is a clear high-level commitment enough?
Sources and evidence
- IREN's Canadian Expansion Cuts Both Ways as Execution Questions Mount – ad-hoc-news.de (5 November 2026, 10:50 UTC)
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