Australia’s 1414 Degrees to develop a 1GW data centre
Sydney (28 July)
Energy developer 1414 Degrees has signed an initial deal with a technology developer to build 1 GW of data centre infrastructure – powered by solar generators and a big battery system – in South Australia’s (SA) Aurora Energy Precinct.
1414 Degrees will supply land, power, and grid connections under the non-binding deal, while its development partner will fund, build, and operate the data centre infrastructure, the company told investors on 27 July. 1414 Degrees has not named its development partner.
The two companies plan to develop 1 GW of infrastructure at Aurora in three stages, 1414 Degrees said. They will build an initial 17 MW starter campus and then scale it to 1 GW as 1414 Degrees expands Aurora’s renewable generation and storage capacity.
1414 Degrees expects to build up to 900 MW of solar generators and a 140 MW battery system at Aurora over the next five years, a company spokesperson told Lithos. But its development timeline is indicative and subject to approvals and funding milestones, they added.
The company aims to install a 140 MW battery system and a 30 MW solar power plant – which planning authorities have approved – within the next twelve months.
“[The data centre deal] validates Aurora’s strategy of attracting energy-intensive industries to a site purpose-built for renewable generation, storage and grid connectivity,” 1414 Degrees Executive Director Kevin Moriarty said.
1414 Degrees’ deal comes just over a week after the Northern Territory (NT) Government granted Beetaloo Digital – a subsidiary of Beetaloo Energy – exclusive development rights over 185 hectares of land near Darwin to support a joint energy and data centre project.
Beetaloo plans to build two AI data centres and a gas-fired power plant to increase domestic gas demand, speed up the development of a shale gas project, and support NT’s economy, Beetaloo Energy said on 22 July.
Beetaloo Digital and 1414 Degrees’ projects appear to align with the Australian Government’s recently announced plan to make data centre developers underwrite power costs and pay for grid connections.
By Avinash Govind