<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jul/26/mega-datacentre-planned-for-outer-melbourne-will-be-almost-six-times-the-size-of-chadstone-shopping-centre>
"For some residents it started with a letter in the mailbox. It was a “friendly
introduction from the team behind the Victorian AI hub”.
“I am knocking on doors to explain what we have in mind and, most importantly,
to listen,” the letter from Syncline Energy stated.
“Construction won’t start for at least two-years while we complete the planning
and environmental approvals.”
For others, news of the project had already spread through social media and
news reports, which sounded the alarm before the company had begun its
communication efforts.
The site for what has been dubbed a mega datacentre in Plumpton, about 30km
north-west of the Melbourne CBD, is now an empty paddock next to Melbourne’s
renewable energy hub, just off the Calder Freeway. It’s near a fast-growing
suburb, transmission lines, and a stone’s throw from where Harry Houdini made
what was claimed to be Australia’s first controlled powered flight in 1910.
Planes from nearby Tullamarine airport fly low overhead, and on weekends the
sky is punctured by the lights and sounds of the Calder speedway.
This paddock is rapidly becoming a microcosm of the growing community
resentment to datacentres across Australia.
The proposed site is 350 hectares, of which Syncline says 40% – 140ha, or just
under six times the size of Chadstone shopping centre – will be used to house
four datacentre buildings with maximum capacity of 2.4GW, with the remaining
60% to be open land. The proposed centre is larger than any currently operating
in Australia and would consume more electricity than is generated by Victoria’s
largest power station, Loy Yang A."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
