Queensland and the NT opt out of clean energy paired with data centres mandate

During an Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council (ECMC) virtual meeting, Queensland and the Northern Territory (NT) rejected support for any proposal regarding national regulation development requiring artificial intelligence (AI) data centres in Australia to pair with new renewable generation to protect the grid and consumers.

Ministers from New South Wales (NSW), Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Tasmania, South Australia, and New Zealand (NZ), supported federal commitment to legislate nationally consistent standards to ensure next-gen large-scale data centres underwrite new renewable power supply.

Apart from Queensland and the NT, all other states and territories welcomed the Prime Minister’s goal of introducing a set of nationally consistent AI standards outlining minimum requirements in relation to energy, water and location to enable data centre investment, while ensuring AI works in Australia’s interests.

It was agreed the ECMC will progress regulatory arrangements to mandate that data centres offset their electricity demand by investing in additional renewable generation located in the jurisdiction where the data centre is located, however Queensland and the NT did not agree.

Climate Council Chief Executive Officer Amanda McKenzie said the Queensland government’s opposition to clean energy rules is out of step with the people they represent, with our recent polling showing that 80% of Queenslanders want data centres to be required to pay for their own renewable energy.

“Australians in every corner of the nation understand exactly what’s at stake and it’s important that Energy Ministers representing every corner of the nation have that front of mind when they meet in the coming days,” McKenzie said.

“Each state and territory must come to the table and put the interests of their communities ahead of the profits of tech giants and fossil fuel corporations.”