Mount Torrens residents unite to oppose proposed AI data centre

Quantum DC intends to construct a 1,200-megawatt hyperscale data center and related energy infrastructure on Collins Road in Tungkillo, approximately 41 kilometers east of Adelaide’s central business district. The initial phase of the project is slated to begin in 2028.

Originally scheduled for this week, community consultation sessions were postponed to late November due to safety concerns. In response, local residents organized their own meetings, including a gathering in Tungkillo on Thursday and a public rally in Mannum on Saturday.

Local organizer Magdalene Lippett stated that despite attempts to engage with Quantum DC officials via email, they declined to attend Saturday’s community event. Lippett emphasized the community’s opposition, citing worries about land use, water resources, noise pollution, and light pollution. “We’re not going away,” she asserted. “We don’t want the data centre, we will fight it using every legal means possible.”

While expressing openness to development, Lippett highlighted the existing Tungkillo Battery Energy Storage System as an example of acceptable progress. She questioned the trade-offs associated with the data center, particularly concerning agriculture and the lifestyle of local residents.

A formal application for the Tungkillo AI facility has not yet been submitted to state planning authorities. Quantum DC CEO Alby Tomassi explained that approximately 80 percent of the facility’s power needs would be met through on-site substations connected to ElectraNet power lines, utilizing solar and wind contracts. A gas-fired power station will also be built for firming capacity, and rainwater will be captured and recirculated for the facility’s water supply, avoiding reliance on the River Murray or groundwater reserves.

“We respect the community’s views, and that is why our engagement is taking place before anything is lodged, so that we hear and consider those views first,” Tomassi said. The rescheduled consultations are set for November 20 and 21.

The proposed infrastructure would cover 120 hectares, an area roughly one-third the size of Adelaide’s CBD, surpassing the current “Colossus” campus operated by SpaceXSI, which spans less than 100 hectares.

Planning Minister Nick Champion stated that any application would undergo a “rigorous planning system.” The government will determine the assessment pathway, potentially involving the State Commission Assessment Panel or direct ministerial evaluation.

While government members were absent from Saturday’s Mannum rally, representatives from the opposition, the Greens, and One Nation addressed the protesters. Though united in supporting the local opposition, these parties hold differing views on the broader issue of data centers in South Australia. Liberal upper house leader Nicola Centofanti said, “We’re not against data centres but at the end of the day you’ve got to take community sentiment into consideration.” Greens leader Robert Simms called for a moratorium on new data centers, while One Nation MLC Carlos Quaremba suggested a potential alliance between the three parties similar to their recent collaboration on a motion to block gas fracking.