Arabic version: خطة لمركز بيانات في ويديل تستهدف استثماراً بقيمة 40 مليار دولار
According to ABC News, the Northern Territory government has set aside 185 hectares at Weddell, in Darwin’s rural area, for a possible $40 billion hyperscale data centre, gas-fired power station and energy precinct proposed by Beetaloo Energy. The company would use gas fracked in the Beetaloo Basin south of Katherine and transported by pipeline to the site.
Lands, Planning and Environment Minister Joshua Burgoyne said the government had signed a “do-not-deal” agreement over the land. The arrangement gives Beetaloo Energy exclusive rights while it seeks investors and assesses the project’s viability. Weddell, about a 40-minute drive from Darwin’s CBD, had previously been flagged as the location for the Top End’s next satellite city.
Beetaloo Energy managing director Alex Underwood said the proposal was intended to create a fully integrated energy and digital infrastructure precinct. He said the data centre would require two gigawatts of electricity, more than six times the maximum demand recorded across Darwin and Katherine in 2024-25. The company plans to oversize the proposed power plant so it can supply energy to Darwin’s grid rather than draw from it.
Underwood said the development could generate tens of billions of dollars in investment and hundreds of jobs, while acknowledging it remained at an early stage and required significant approvals and financing. He said Beetaloo Energy intended to hold town halls and open consultation channels as project details become clearer. He did not identify commercial construction or development partners, or confirm how water allocations would be managed.
The company said renewable projects, including SunCable’s proposed outback solar farm, could be integrated with gas used as baseload power, but Underwood could not say how extensively renewables would be used. Environmental groups, including the Environment Centre NT, renewed calls for a moratorium on Territory data centre projects. Greenpeace Australia Pacific climate and energy head Joe Rafalowicz called the announcement a “shocking example of the unchecked expansion of hyperscale data centres in Australia”.
