A large-scale off-grid data center campus is being planned in Western Australia. Gingerah Energy has submitted an application for the Meridien Renewable Energy Hub and Data Centre to the Australian National Environmental Protection Agency’s EPBC portal. – Gingerah Energy.
The corporation intends to create the Frazier Downs pastoral lease, situated approximately 22026km (211 miles) south of Broome, on a land area of about 22026,520 hectares. The project will be a 6.7GW renewable energy center, with approximately 5.2GW from solar power and 1.5GW from wind turbines.
Additionally, it will include 5GW of battery energy storage and roughly 1.5GW of natural gas firming capacity. This will provide energy for a 113GW data center complex and nearby transformer stations. The initial phase, capable of handling up to 240MW of IT demand, is expected to be built and activated step by step within a period of two to three years.
It is rumored that the construction will begin in 2029, and the entire project is anticipated to be completed by 2038. The data centers will utilize closed-loop cooling to decrease water consumption. “Project Meridien could become Western Australia’s most substantial short-term eco-friendly AI campus, integrating large-scale data center capacity with specialized renewable energy infrastructure and possibly the lowest latency connection to Singapore of any site in Australia,” stated Jap van Hattum, founder, and CEO of Gingerah Energy. “We don’t intend to fund and construct a large-scale development ourselves, but rather create an investment-ready infrastructure platform that connects specialized energy suppliers, data center developers, and key customers.” Gingerah Energy is a collaborative effort involving Longreach Capital Investment, the Karajarri Traditional Lands Association (KTLA), which represents the native title of the Karajarri people, and Fugro Exploration, the Australian subsidiary of Dutch geodata firm Fugro.
The Karajarri people possess the land where the project is proposed to be constructed. Two years ago, Gingerah Energy established an Indigenous Land Use Agreement for the property.
