Residents call for moratorium on AI data centres at meeting in Darwin
There is growing opposition and concern about a wave of data centres planned for the Northern Territory, with residents raising concerns about water use, noise and proximity to people's homes.
A community meeting in Darwin saw dozens of residents express strong opposition to the planned influx of data centres in the Northern Territory. Independent Member for Johnston, Justine Davis, facilitated the information session, where residents questioned the rapid expansion of data centres. Harvey Jupp, one of the attendees, criticized these centers for extracting resources and exporting data while not creating long-term jobs.
A data centre is a large building that houses infrastructure to keep the online world functioning, requiring extensive land, water, and electricity. The Northern Territory government aims to become the "data centre capital of the globe," backed by gas from the Beetaloo Basin, which could begin producing gas soon. Twelve data centre developers have shown interest in the territory.
The government's support extends to a $40 billion proposal for a hyper-scale AI data centre in Weddell, near Darwin. Residents, including Litchfield councillor Pauline Cass, voiced concerns about noise, water consumption, and the lack of community benefits. Despite the federal government's commitment to renewable energy for data centres, residents worried about the potential negative impacts on their environment and quality of life.
Environment Centre NT senior climate campaigner Bree Ahrens called for minimum standards to be established before the industry grows further, emphasizing the need for robust federal regulations to protect the economy and public before it's too late.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
