Locals protest against proposed AI data centre in Adelaide Hills

Residents in and around the Adelaide Hills have said they will fight an AI data centre proposed for a block just outside of Mount Torrens.

Quantum DC is proposing a 1,200-megawatt hyperscale data centre along with energy infrastructure on Collins Road in Tungkillo, about 41 kilometres directly east of the Adelaide CBD. The first stage would commence in 2028.

It had scheduled two community consultation sessions this week but postponed them to late November amid safety concerns.

In their absence, locals instead convened their own protest meetings, one in Tungkillo on Thursday, followed by a public rally in the nearby town of Mannum today.

Local organiser Magdalene Lippett said she had communicated with Quantum DC officials in email, but they had declined to attend Saturday's community event.

She said residents were opposed to the construction, having raised concerns about the use of land, water supplies and the impact of noise and light pollution.

"We're not going away," Ms Lippett said.

"We don't want the data centre, we will fight it using every legal means possible."

She said the community was not opposed to development, citing the Tungkillo Battery Energy Storage System being constructed at the nearby existing substation.

"There just has to be a point where we slow down a little bit and start to question what trade-offs we're giving up to have this AI data centre there and what are the risks for … primary production, the agriculture and the lifestyles of everyone around that area."

Application on hold

No formal application to construct the Tungkillo AI facility has been lodged with state planning authorities by Quantum DC.

Its chief executive Alby Tomassi said about 80 per cent of the project's electricity needs would be met by two on-site substations connecting to existing ElectraNet power lines, with supply via solar and wind contracts.

It would also construct an on-site gas-fired power station to provide firming capacity, with captured and recirculated rainwater used to meet the facility's water needs.

Mr Tomassi said the facility would not utilise water from the nearby River Murray or existing groundwater reserves.

Quantum DC has rescheduled its consultations to November 20 and 21.

"We respect the community's views, and that is why our engagement is taking place before anything is lodged, so that we hear and consider those views first," Mr Tomassi said.

"What we hear will help inform and shape the proposal we lodge, and a summary of what we heard and how we responded will accompany our application."

At 120 hectares the infrastructure build would cover an area about a third of the size of Adelaide's CBD and would be larger than the current "Colossus" campus operated by Elon Musk's SpaceXSI, which is less than 100 hectares in size.

Crossbench calls for halt to project

Planning Minister Nick Champion said that any application to build a data centre would need to pass through a "rigorous planning system", including meeting power and water requirements.

Mr Champion said an application's assessment would be determined by the government, and could be handed to the State Commission Assessment Panel or to the minister for evaluation.

"Whatever the pathway, the process is rigorous," Mr Champion said.

Government members did not attend Saturday's meeting in Mannum, however representatives from the opposition and crossbench did address protesters.

Though the Liberal Party, Greens and One Nation support the local push against the project, they differ on how to approach the question of data centres in South Australia.

"We're not against data centres but at the end of the day you've got to take community sentiment into consideration," said Liberal upper house leader Nicola Centofanti.

"This community is saying right from day dot: 'We don't want it here.'"

Greens leader Robert Simms called on the state government "to put a moratorium on any new data centres and to include data centres within their royal commission", while One Nation MLC Carlos Quaremba pointed to the recent move by the three parties to support a Greens motion to block gas fracking in the state's south-east.

Mr Quaremba said his party took "the principled position" of looking "at everything as risk-versus-reward" and suggested a similar tri-party alliance could be forged on the data centre issue.