A re-elected Labor government will force data centres in Victoria to source their own renewable energy, Premier Ben Carroll has promised.

Carroll said his government would introduce regulations for data centres in line with a recent earlier agreement among state and territory leaders to impose national guardrails.

Under the proposed laws, data centres built in Victoria would need to match their energy demand with new renewable generation. They would also be unable to use drinking water and be banned from being built in residential areas, or near schools or childcare centres.

But the rules will not apply to existing data centres, or those already being assessed for approval.

Carroll’s election pledge comes amid significant community concern about what an influx of power-hungry data centres will mean for the electricity grid and environment.

In August, state and territory leaders agreed during a National Cabinet meeting that large data centres required consistent national standards regarding energy, water and land-use.

Victoria already has more than 50 functioning data centres and the state government has welcomed further development as generating jobs and investment, with a capital expenditure of $5.8 billion in the last year.

“In Victoria, we set the rules – data centres must power themselves, protect homes and pay their way,” Carroll said.
“If we get that right, we can all share in their economic benefits, especially the local community.”

Under Victoria’s proposed changes, data centres would need to source their own clean energy, either through their own renewable programs or by investing in green-energy projects, as well as cover any additional infrastructure costs.

They would also be permitted to use only recycled or non-drinking water for cooling, and offset any drinking water they do initially require and pay for infrastructure upgrades.

As well as banning data centres from residential zones, for those living in industrial zones, a minimum 150-metre buffer zone would be required between new data centres constructions and homes.

Victoria’s digital economy minister, Anthony Carbines said data centres supported vital services such as banking, healthcare, transport and emergency services.

“Companies like Amazon and Microsoft choose to invest in Victoria – that will continue within sensible guardrails,” he said.

The federal government is in the process of shaping mandatory national standards for data centres, and released a consultation paper last Thursday. It proposes that data centres be required to bring on new renewables and firming to fully offset their energy demand.

However, with plans to legislate the standards by 2027, it leaves open the question of whether they would apply to centres already in the construction pipeline.

In August, the NSW government announced plans similar to Victoria’s to mandate water and energy usage for data centre projects wanting to access the state’s fast-tracked approvals program.

The Victorian election is on November 28.

-AAP