Tungkillo data centre proposal sparks fierce community backlash
Resistance has been firm and immediate from residents opposed to a Quantum DC facility proposed in the eastern Mount Lofty Ranges.
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Fiery scenes are expected at Mannum and Tungkillo this week as the proponents of a planned data centre face community members for the first time.
A company called Quantum DC hopes to build a “compute and energy hub” on Collins Road at Tungkillo, nestled in the hills between that town, Rockleigh and Mount Torrens.
The facility would consist of:
- Three warehouses full of computers with a combined capacity of 1.2 gigawatts, comparable to Firmus’ proposed AI factory at Tailem Bend
- A gas power plant which would fire up if solar and wind power from the grid became unavailable – probably about 20 per cent of the time
- Two electrical substations which would connect to an existing high-voltage power line at the site
- Battery energy storage and possibly on-site wind or solar power generation during a later stage of development
Quantum DC promised to commission new wind and solar generation elsewhere in South Australia for the remainder of its power needs.
The facility would use a closed-loop cooling system, much like a car radiator, and would only use about 20 megalitres of water per year when fully operational.
It would not have a mains water connection or draw from the River Murray; instead, water would be trucked in during construction as well as being captured on site.
The proponents described themselves as “senior professionals across institutional real estate, energy markets, engineering and environmental approvals”.
Among them are Melbourne-based property developer Alby Tomassi and environmental consultant Anthony Caruana.
Tungkillo would be their first major project.
Its benefits, they said, would include:
- jobs for local people: hundreds during construction and an unspecified number on an ongoing basis
- work for local contractors and suppliers
- rate revenue for the Mid Murray council
- support for global demand for cloud computing, artificial intelligence and data storage
“We are asking the community to help shape an outcome that delivers mutual benefit,” Mr Tomassi said in a statement to media.
Their plan was to complete the project in three stages, with stage one becoming operational in 2028 and stage three by 2031.
For that to happen, Quantum DC will need to gain development approval from the state government after going through a formal public consultation process.
That process will begin when the company lodges a development application with the Department for Housing and Urban Development.
In the meantime, public information sessions will be held at Tungkillo Soldiers’ Memorial Hall from 4.30-6.30pm this Thursday, October 29, and at Mannum Leisure Centre’s senior citizens room from 11am-1pm on Saturday, October 31.
Local opponents spring into action
Fresh off a 15-year fight against a wind farm at Palmer, locals opposed to industrial development in the area have ralliedagainst the projectin a matter of days, organising petitions and reaching out to elected representatives.
A Facebook group called Say No to the Tungkillo Hyperscale Data Centre has gained 2800 members since being created last Friday, and an online petition has attracted more than 1000 signatures in two days.
A spokeswoman for a group calling itself the Tungkillo Residents Action Group expressed concern about everything from light pollution – no small issue in the world-renowned River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve – to disruption of bees, round-the-clock noise and the risk of fires.
“This is a quiet, beautiful farming community under some of the darkest skies on Earth,” the spokeswoman said.
“You can hear the birds and the bees, and see the Milky Way.
“They want to replace that with a 24-hour industrial power complex, a gas plant and years of trucks.
“Once the creek, the trees, the forage and the quiet are gone, they don’t come back.”
The organiser of the petition expressed concern about Mid Murray residents being bypassed by the proponent’s reliance on a state government approval process, “(stripping) regional communities of our democratic veto power and right to self-determination”.
He, too was worried about water, power use and light pollution.
No doubt similar concerns will be aired at those two meetings in the coming days.
- More information: Visit quantumdc.com.au/tungkillo, or register for an info session by contacting Emma at URPS on 8333 7999 or at engage@urps.com.au. Sessions will be held at Tungkillo Soldiers’ Memorial Hall from 4.30-6.30pm this Thursday, October 29, and at Mannum Leisure Centre’s senior citizens room from 11am-1pm on Saturday, October 31.
- Join the group opposing the data centre: Search for Say No to the Tungkillo Hyperscale Data Centre on Facebook.
- Sign the petition: www.change.org.
