Coal-fired power needed to bolster $32bn Qld data centre, Nationals MP says

Nationals MP David Littleproud has advocated for the construction of an additional 750MW coal-fired power station to support a proposed $32 billion data centre in Queensland's Western Downs region. Anthropic, an artificial intelligence (AI) company, has inked a deal to utilize a portion of the data centre set to be built near Dalby by Singaporean firm Zerra DC.

The data centre, still awaiting council approval, would be the largest of its kind in Australia and could potentially draw as much power as 1.5 million Australian households, accounting for approximately 25% of the state's daily electricity consumption.

Littleproud also expressed support for nuclear power in Queensland to help meet the anticipated energy demands. Concerns have been raised by the community about the substantial water requirements of the proposed data centre, estimated to be equivalent to six Olympic swimming pools annually. Littleproud stated that these water usage concerns have been addressed in writing, and if they were to change, he would reconsider his stance.

The data centre project is expected to create about 1,500 jobs during construction and 1,400 permanent positions. However, Katter's Australia Party MP Robbie Katter has called on the government to focus on the existing industries in the region, rather than rushing to build new infrastructure. He expressed frustration with the influx of large multinational corporations seeking to establish data centres in Queensland, without adequately considering the impact on existing industries and water supplies.

Robbie Katter highlighted the need for caution in the rapidly evolving AI sector, warning that the lack of regulation and recent industry warnings could have significant consequences. He emphasized the importance of treating the development of the data centre with extreme caution and urged a more measured approach, rather than a rush to approve the project and other similar proposals.