Hyper-scale data centre could draw quarter of Queensland's power usage - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Drone footage shot in 2019 of the Wambo feedlot. (ABC News: Nathan Morris)

A proposed data centre at a feedlot in Queensland would have a total peak capacity of 2.16 gigawatts, equivalent to 1.5 million average Australian households.

The Western Downs Regional Council is considering the development application for the project, currently the largest proposed data centre in Australia.

Experts say new energy generation assets need to be introduced as soon as possible to power the artificial intelligence boom.

This paddock is usually home to cattle, but it could host a hyper-scale data centre with the potential to increase Queensland's daily electricity use by 25 per cent.

The $31.9 billion data centre is proposed for the feedlot on the Western Downs, 250 kilometres west of Brisbane, in the heart of the state's coal seam gas country.

The data centre has been earmarked for a 725-hectare plot near Dalby, west of Brisbane. (ABC News: Brandon Long)

Singapore-based developer Zerra DC's proposed Western Downs Digital Park would have a peak capacity equivalent to 2.16 gigawatts (GW), a power draw comparable to 1.5 million average Australian households.

At the end of its four-phase rollout, it could draw about 47 gigawatt-hours (GWh) a day, significantly adding to Queensland's average daily energy consumption of 170GWh.

The concept model of a large-scale data centre project that has been proposed for the Western Downs.  (Supplied: Urbis)

Put simply, it is an "enormous amount of energy" according to electro-mechanical engineer Andreas Helwig.

Zerra DC's application was submitted to the Western Downs Regional Council last month during a national debate about how to manage the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Mining, gas and agriculture are pillars of the Western Downs' economy. (ABC News: Brandon Long)

Dr Helwig said the project could be a test case of how to power the computing facilities.

"Getting this wrong will impact grid stability and cost to consumers," the associate professor at the University of Southern Queensland said.

Andreas Helwig said the Western Downs Digital Park would take an "enormous amount of energy" to power. (ABC Southern Qld: Elly Bradfield )

Climate Finance Energy director Tim Buckley said the increase in power demand would need to be matched by investments into new energy generation, which could transform the regional and rural areas.

"The beauty of the land grab in the data centre gold rush that's underway right now is that capital is pouring in," Mr Buckley said.

It is early days for the Western Downs Digital Park.

The development application lodged with the local council could take years to be approved, and the data centre could take four to six years to build.

A Zerra DC spokesperson said the project would be well positioned among existing energy infrastructure, including three gas-fired power stations.

The data centre would be located near existing gas-fired power stations. (ABC News: Brandon Long)

Solar and wind farms are nearby along with a major substation that acts as a "critical electrical junction" sending power to south-east Queensland and New South Wales.

The spokesperson said the digital park would connect directly to the substation rather than relying on Ergon Energy's local distribution to the small surrounding towns.

It comes as the federal government outlined plans for developers to use renewables as the national standard to power data centres, while Queensland and the Northern Territory governments pushed to use gas or coal.

David Crisafulli is lobbying for coal and gas to power data centres, as well as renewables. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)

Premier David Crisafulli has lobbied for an "energy-agnostic" approach to powering data centres, arguing that increased generation alongside the projects could decrease prices.

"By virtue of doing that, it can in fact help us drive down power prices," Mr Crisafulli said during a recent trip to the US, where he met with AI companies.

Mr Buckley said gas could play an "important small and declining" role in powering data centres, predominantly to back up renewable generation.

Tim Buckley says data centre developers need to bring on new energy generation assets to power the demand. (ABC News: Scott Preston)

He said the climate science was "absolutely crystal clear" that relying on fossil fuels would backfire because of the cost and the impact on climate change.

An hour's drive south from the proposed site, cotton and grain grower Liza Balmain said she had witnessed the impacts of energy generation projects in the past.

Liza Balmain says gas is threatening prime agricultural land and is not a sustainable option for the future. (ABC News: Brandon Long)

Ms Balmain, a spokesperson for the anti-gas group Save Our Darling Downs, said many of her neighbours had lost farming viability because of the impact of coal seam gas drilling on their land and groundwater.

While she was not opposed to data centres, she said she wanted guidelines in place around what natural resources they would require.

"As we've seen with coal seam gas, it can fracture communities," she said.

Save Our Darling Downs spokesperson Liza Balmain says questions remain to be answered before the proposed data centre is approved. (ABC News: Brandon Long)

She said leaders should learn from previous industrial booms.

Western Downs Regional Council mayor Andrew Smith said the project was the dawn of a new era for the region.

While the Western Downs Digital Park will be subject to regulatory and environmental hurdles, his council will have a say on whether the project is approved locally.

Andrew Smith says Western Downs councillors will consider the application after the planning team completes its assessment. (ABC News: Brandon Long)

He said the area was the "energy capital of Queensland" and well positioned for the project.

"We need to be looking ahead at what's going to sustain this region," he said.

"We've got a perfect mix of coexistence of ag [agriculture] and energy."

Cr Smith said conversations about community benefit agreements with the developer were already underway.