Sydney Residents Raise Concerns Over Planned Data Centre Expansion

According to the BBC, residents in Sydney's Lane Cove suburb are objecting to plans for four new data centres, citing noise, water use, power demand and environmental concerns. Australia has 162 data centres and plans for 90 more, with estimated investment of more than A$155bn (£80bn), while one proposed facility in western Sydney would be among the world's biggest and the largest single energy user in Australia. The article said Australia has become a major destination for data-centre investment because of its land, energy resources and political stability, and that OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said earlier this year the country could become a global data-centre capital. Belinda Dennett, chief executive of Data Centres Australia, said the infrastructure is needed to support AI growth, while Jon Whittle, a former CSIRO director, said the government has little choice but to keep backing the sector. Energy and environmental groups warned that data-centre electricity demand could triple by 2030 and that power prices in New South Wales could rise 26% by 2035 without major new renewable generation and storage. Sydney Water said data centres could use up to 25% of the city's drinking water by 2035, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced in July a new legal obligation for large-scale data centres to underwrite power supplies, limit water use and pay for extra water infrastructure, with the rules due to be introduced in 2027.