For immediate release
A surge in Australian data centre construction driven by AI risks pushing up power bills and climate pollution, according to a new report from the Climate Council.
The report, Clouded future: Managing risks of the data centre boom, reveals that Australia is already a global investment hotspot – second only to the USA in 2024 – with 162 data centres in operation and more than 90 projects in the pipeline.
Unchecked, this growth risks:
↑ 26% wholesale electricity price rise in NSW, and 23% rise in Victoria by 2035 if data centre demand is met with gas, not renewables
↑ 14% more climate pollution from our main electricity grid by 2035 without intervention
3X projected growth in data centre energy demand by 2030 – making their power use equivalent to all Victorian homes – in the midst of the clean energy build out
3X projected growth in water demand by 2030 as our climate is becoming hotter and drier. Water utilities have received single site connection requests to be able to use up to 40 million litres a day (equivalent to 16 Olympic swimming pools)
But proactive, swift Government action can better align data centre growth with Australia’s switch to clean, reliable and affordable energy. Requiring new data centres to match their load with low cost, new renewables and storage will protect Australians from price hikes and pollution surges.
The below experts are available for interview.
To arrange interviews, please contact:
Sean Kennedy on 0447 121 378 or [email protected]
Gabrielle Platt on 0493 442 307 or [email protected]
Simon Currie, Co-founder and Chief Projects Officer of Energy Estate
Energy Estate develops large-scale energy and infrastructure projects and ecosystems in Australia and globally. Energy Estate Digital is developing data cable networks between Australia and New Zealand and key global hubs designed to support the growth of the AI economy and connect global hubs with new regions with access to abundant land, energy and water resources.
Professor Priya Rajagopalan, Director of the Post Carbon Research Centre at RMIT
Professor Rajagopalan is the Associate Dean (Research and Innovation) in the school of Property, Construction and Project Management at RMIT, Melbourne. She is a building scientist with extensive experience in energy and indoor environmental quality of buildings and urban climatology, sustainable building design, energy benchmarking and labelling and has developed innovative methods for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Dr. Thomas Nann, CEO Allegro Energy
Dr. Thomas Nann is a globally recognised expert and pioneer on micro-emulsion storage technology. He can speak about long-duration energy storage, climate policy and data centre energy profiles as well as Australia’s clean energy future.
Steve Fergus, Co-founder of Neutralis
Neutralis is a building product company focused on delivering carbon neutral concrete solutions that are less expensive and seamlessly integrated into existing supply chains. Steve can speak about why Australia should focus on building supply sovereignty and how Australia’s data centres should be built at speed and be sustainable.
Sabiene Heindl, CEO of The Energy Charter said:
"The lesson from the energy transition is clear: we get better outcomes when sectors work together rather than in isolation. Data centres, energy companies and governments all have a stake in ensuring that the growth in data centres strengthens, rather than strains, our energy system and provides benefits to Australian communities." *Sabiene is unavailable for interview.
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Contact details:
Sean Kennedy on 0447 121 378 or [email protected]