SYDNEY, Wednesday 27 Could 2026 — A brand new report from Greenpeace Australia Pacific and impartial professional Ketan Joshi reveals how the frenzied rollout of AI knowledge centres in Australia is ready to derail the renewable vitality transition, entrench gasoline and turbocharge local weather air pollution, prompting requires an pressing moratorium on knowledge centre approvals till applicable guardrails are in place.
The report, Vitality Vampires: the AI knowledge centres draining Australia, reveals the staggering scale of knowledge centre progress in Australia, set to comply with a US path of emissions blowout and rising group opposition to the resource-hungry amenities. The report exposes the hyperlinks between the information centre foyer and the gasoline trade, who’re utilizing knowledge centre progress to justify extracting extra gasoline.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific is asking on the Federal Authorities to urgently implement a moratorium on the development and approval of recent knowledge centres, till applicable rules and safeguards have been put in place to guard the local weather and communities.
Key findings:
Information centres are already failing to cowl their very own demand with further renewable vitality, and resisting calls to mandate that they do.
At its peak, Australia’s greatest proposed knowledge centre, the 1GW Mamre Highway Information Centre Campus in Western Sydney, will generate annual emissions equal to 560,000 petrol automobiles, or all home flights inside NSW in 2023.
There are early indicators of an information centre-fuelled gasoline increase in Australia, together with proposals for brand spanking new on-site gasoline, as seen within the US.
Cloud Service’s proposed gas-fired knowledge centre in NSW would wipe out the state’s complete projected 2028 emissions cuts.
Even when just one in 4 new Australian knowledge centres had been powered by new on-site gasoline, it could lead to 2.8x greater whole emissions in comparison with utilizing grid energy.
Joe Rafalowicz, Head of Local weather and Vitality at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, mentioned: “Australia is totally unprepared for the magnitude of impacts of the AI-driven knowledge centre frenzy. Information centres are being rolled out at a feverish tempo, with among the largest deliberate for Australia consuming as a lot vitality as Adelaide. The latest federal and state vitality minister communique is a optimistic first step in the direction of regulating the information centre trade, and managing its impression on the vitality transition and the communities the place they’re being constructed.
“However we should always all be involved by the acute lack of scrutiny being utilized to the businesses main the information centre cost in Australia and their proposals. With out sturdy, legislated requirements, we danger replicating the disastrous US sample, the place Huge Tech companies have carte blanche to empty vitality and water, and construct new, polluting gasoline and diesel-powered crops to gasoline their operations. This has seen mounting group opposition that transcends get together politics, one thing we’re starting to see right here in Australia.
“Greenpeace is asking for a moratorium on new knowledge centre approvals and development till we now have clearly outlined, enforceable rules and requirements in place to control this trade — important if we hope to keep away from the alarming outcomes outlined on this report.
“Australia just isn’t a playground for Huge Tech companies. It’s time our leaders stepped up and took critically their position as custodians of our sources and protectors of our society and atmosphere.”
Ketan Joshi, impartial report writer and local weather professional mentioned: “Impatience just isn’t a advantage. The reckless knowledge centre buildout is heaping huge new load onto the grid, which means renewables need to run more durable simply to remain in the identical spot. Presently knowledge centres enhance coal and gasoline output and delay shutdowns, whereas plugging polluting gasoline into knowledge centres does the harm straight as an alternative.
“Until the information centre trade builds no new fossil fuels and way more new renewables than new demand, we find yourself worse off. Australia’s gasoline trade sees a lifeline in an unchecked knowledge centre frenzy, and the sensation appears to be mutual.
“Information centre demand projections preserve jabbing upwards every revision, and emissions projections preserve getting worse. In all places on the earth dealing with this frenzy sees the identical development.
“Information centre moratoria have bipartisan help in nations world wide as the one path to reintroducing cautious, thought of governance of knowledge centre progress. Within the context of an irrational, unjustified panic, a short lived pause brings cause and rationality, together with bringing energy to communities.”
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Photos and an interview clipreel of Greenpeace spokespeople on the Mamre Highway knowledge centre in Western Sydney obtainable right here.
Media contacts:
Lucy Keller on 0491 135 308 or [email protected]
Kate O’Callaghan on 0406 231 892 or [email protected]
