A gas-fired power station proposed for Moss Vale could be shut down once the grid can power an onsite data centre, a court has heard. Developer Nakar Property is appealing after Wingecarribee Shire Council refused its application for the 16-megawatt plant. Barrister James Smith said the plant is needed for constant power, and that gas use would stop once grid supply is secured. The council's barrister, Michael Staunton, argued the grid option had not been properly investigated and that the project would lack firm supply for two years.
Firmus Technologies says one of its three planned AI data centres in Tasmania's north is not yet funded. The company abandoned its plan to list on the Australian stock exchange earlier this month but is continuing with its Tasmanian projects. Firmus general energy manager Paul Grzinic told a parliamentary committee that the Launceston and Wesley Vale stage one sites are fully funded. He said the other sites still need development approval, which he described as a key step towards securing funding.
Researchers at the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility argue Western Australia does not face a gas shortage. They say producers could sell more gas domestically from existing projects. Woodside and the state government maintain the Browse gas fields are needed to avoid a supply crunch from 2030. Gas industry figure Steve Lewis says large projects only proceed with export sales, and that the domestic market is too small. The researchers also say Browse would be expensive and carbon-intensive.
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Buru Energy has referred its proposed Rafael conventional gas project in the Kimberley to Western Australia's Environmental Protection Authority for review. The company says the project could supply the region with locally produced gas and LPG for the first time. Buru executive chairman David Maxwell said the project would improve energy security. Environmentalists argue it could pave the way for fracking, a claim the company rejects, saying it no longer uses hydraulic fracturing and has no plans for it.
