In Tasmania, planners approved a 288-MW AI center
Planners for the Georgetown Council in the Australian state of Tasmania have recommended approving the construction of a 288-megawatt artificial intelligence data center. The council is set to make a final decision on the application submitted by Firmus Technologies on Tuesday, according to ABC News Australia.
The facility is proposed to be built in Long Reach on the site of a former pulp mill in the Bell Bay Advanced Manufacturing Zone. During the public comment period, the council received 349 submissions, and an online petition with more than 5,000 signatures called for the project to be rejected.
Local residents complained, in particular, about insufficient community consultation, so the council extended the deadline for submitting comments. Among the issues raised were water and electricity consumption, noise, air, and light pollution, the risk of wildfires, and environmental impact.
On the agenda for the upcoming meeting, planning experts noted that some of the topics raised in the submissions—including energy policy, artificial intelligence, national security, and federal regulation—fall outside the jurisdiction of the body reviewing the application under the Tasmanian Planning Scheme.
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Georgetown Mayor Greg Kiser stated that the council must determine only whether the project meets the requirements of the planning scheme. According to him, the council’s experts believe the application fully complies with these requirements and recommend its approval.
The recommended approval comes with a number of conditions. The company must update its bushfire response plan and emergency management strategy after incorrectly reporting the number of planned diesel generators. The site is equipped with 276 backup diesel generators, which may only be operated during power outages, inspections, maintenance, or emergencies. The combined operating time of more than one generator at a time must not exceed 24 hours per year.
Firmus Technologies also recommended submitting an updated noise impact assessment, conducting a noise level inspection within 60 days of the start of operations, and maintaining a public registry of complaints. The company is already building a 104-MW AI center in St. Leonard’s, a suburb of Launceston, and has applied for another 52-MW facility in Wesley Vale.
