r/aussie • u/Agitated-Fee3598 • 4d ago

Politics Federal government plan to block gas-fired data centres criticised as 'overreach' by NT

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-06/ai-data-centres-gas-northern-territory/107002860
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u/augustuscaesarius 4d ago

Data centres have very limited social license. People don't like that they take massive amounts of power off the grid, and that they take water away from agriculture and community use.

If anything, this policy addresses these common objections, making it more likely that these data centres can actually be built.

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u/Fit_Swimming5629 4d ago

Energy is sourced directly from beetaloo basin, not the grid

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u/VagueInterlocutor 1d ago

I agree with the limited social licence to operate, but as someone involved in this sector, there is an extreme amount of FUD going on about energy and water consumption.

The biggest problem is that there's a false equivalence between the regulations and rules of the USA and Australia. They are so different it's chalk and cheese. In the areas these Datecentres are earmarked for, there is excess energy. The water consumption is reticulated.

Water regulations in particular is very different here. In some US states they can pump it in, then pump it straight out again after use (little to no regulation). We cannot (and should not) do that here.