Key Facts

• The federal government aims to create national rules forcing AI datacentres to rely on renewable energy.
• Datacentres powered solely by gas will not meet the new national standards and cannot proceed.
• Queensland and the Northern Territory have opposed the federal plans, citing concerns about power and economic impacts.
• The Energy Minister said the federal government will use its legal powers to enforce these rules despite state opposition.
• The new standards will require datacentres to minimize water use, improve energy efficiency, and pay the costs of connecting to the power grid.
• Datacentres must also supply as much energy back to the grid as they consume and show proof of renewable energy sources.
• The Australian Energy Market Commission warned that without these rules, the costs of new datacentres could increase bills for regular customers.
• The federal government plans to announce detailed legislation soon to enforce these national datacentre requirements.