Data CentresHudson FarrFri 09 Oct 26
HyperDC Proposes $6.1bn Data Centre on Geelong Farmland
A developer is seeking approval for a $6.1 billion data centre on farmland north-west of Geelong, lodging its application on the same day Victoria released new rules for the sector.
HyperDC applied through the state government’s Development Facilitation Program on September 22 to build a 480-megawatt facility at 715 Ballan Road, Moorabool, according to a planning report by Planning & Property Partners.
The state’s permits register shows no public notice or decision yet.
The Sustainable Data Centre Action Plan, released the same day, would require new data centres to bring their own renewable energy and storage, use recycled or non-drinking water for cooling and keep 150m between data centre buildings and homes.
It would also prohibit data centres in rural zones unless they were near infrastructure critical to their operation, such as major transmission assets or battery storage.
The 39.8ha Moorabool site is in the Farming Zone, next to AusNet’s Moorabool Terminal Station and the 300MWVictorian Big Battery.
The report said the proximity made the site one of only three in Victoria able to support a data centre of that scale, and that AusNet had confirmed grid connection at the required capacity.
The report said closed-loop cooling would largely eliminate ongoing water use for heat extraction.
It also said the site would connect to potable water, with a connection point for a Barwon Water recycled main expected around 2035.
It detailed the grid connection but not any new renewable generation or storage.
The project comprises two single-storey buildings with 102,930sq m of floor space, built in two stages.
The report said the site would store about 3.6 million litres of diesel for backup generators.
It estimated it would create 107 full-time equivalent jobs on completion and up to 1996 indirect jobs.
The proposal included removing 0.1ha of native vegetation but left the south-east corner untouched, where surveys identified habitat for the striped legless lizard and tussock skink. No animals were recorded on the site.
The report said the buildings would sit at least 115m from Ballan Road and 12.5m from the northern boundary. It did not state distances to the existing dwellings on the site and at 755 Ballan Road, which would be relevant to the proposed 150m buffer.
Victoria had more than 50 data centres and its data centre electricity demand almost doubled in the 12 months to June, according to the state government.
The Australian Energy Market Operator projected national data centre consumption would rise from about 5TWh to 34TWh by 2035-36.
HyperDC’s application is one of several data centre proposals in the development facilitation pipeline, including Stockland’s 250MVA proposal at Laverton North.
