An Australian gas extraction firm has announced plans for an off-grid data center project outside Darwin.. Beetalo Energy this week announced it has launched Beetaloo Digital, a new wholly owned subsidiary, and plans to develop a gas-powered data center in the Northern Territory (NT).. – Beetaloo Energy.
The company said the NT Government has granted Beetaloo exclusivity over 185 hectares of contiguous land at Weddell, south of Darwin, for the development.. Up to 2GW of on-site gas-powered power generation is planned on the site, with potential to see AU$40 billion (US$28bn) invested.
At least four large-scale data center buildings are planned, according to renderings.. “The Weddell site gives us a strong foundation to advance discussions with potential consortium partners, scale, proximity to existing and planned infrastructure, and Beetaloo Energy’s significant gas resources,” said Alex Underwood, managing director of Beetaloo Energy.
“. Beetaloo Digital does not propose to consume power from the Northern Territory grid, we intend to add to it. We intend to overbuild generation capacity, providing the NT the potential to gain a reliable, large-scale baseload electricity source as a direct outcome of this development.”.
Underwood continued: “Beetaloo Digital will seek to establish a consortium of world-class partners across data center development, power generation and pipeline infrastructure. Our proposal has the potential to create a significant new domestic gas market for Beetaloo Energy while supporting long-term economic development in the Northern Territory.
Hyperscale data centers and AI factories operate continuously, creating a durable, predictable demand profile that underpins long-term field development, accelerates upstream investment, and positions Beetaloo Digital as a potential sustained, large-scale cash flow generator for Beetaloo Energy.”. The site is near the government’s proposed Darwin Energy Hub.
The hub aims to host up to 210MW of solar capacity and battery storage on 940 acres.. Beetalo Energy is an ASX-listed upstream gas company focused on gas resources in the Beetaloo Basin in Australia’s Northern Territory. The firm owns millions of acres in the Northern Territory and is targeting commercial gas production this year..
The data center proposals are subject to securing consortium partners and applicable government and regulatory approvals.. The company said each gigawatt of data center capacity would require up to 200 terajoules per day of gas for power generation, supplied via transmission lines leading back to Beetalo gas fields..
“Data center proponents are keen to talk to us because of the promise of reliable and affordable Beetaloo gas-to-power supported by renewables and because of how close and connected we are to major Asian markets and digital superpowers.” said Lia Finnocchiaro MLA, chief minister of the Northern Territory. “The territory has everything this country needs to be successful, including energy, digital capacity, defense, minerals and agriculture.
In our year of growth, certainty and security, my Government will continue to make the Territory a competitive place to live, work, visit and invest.”. More in Behind-The-Meter. 14 May 2026.
09 Apr 2026. More in Australasia. 01 Apr 2026.
27 Feb 2026
