Data centre company lodges appeal against 'unreasonable' restricted generator use
An energy-hungry data centre that received recent council approval to have diesel generators as backup power is now appealing against the "unreasonable" conditions on how they can be used.
Firmus Technologies, an AI data centre company, has filed an appeal with the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) against council conditions restricting the use of backup diesel generators at its 288-megawatt data centre under construction at Bell Bay. The company, which plans to utilize 276 diesel generators, argues that the restrictions imposed by the George Town Council are unreasonable.
Fifteen conditions were imposed on the data centre, with Condition 13 stipulating that backup diesel generators can only be used during scheduled maintenance, unscheduled failures, or genuine emergencies, and must be limited to the hours of 8 am to 6 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding public holidays. The company contends that Condition 13 is unreasonable as it unnecessarily limits the use of approved generators, which could help maintain operational efficiency and a reliable electricity supply during periods of energy market stress.
Firmus is awaiting a decision from the state's electricity supplier on a request for 450 megawatts of energy for its three Tasmanian data centres.
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