4 December 2022
Consent application lodged for $1 billion data centre near Invercargill
Another milestone has been reached in a company’s bid to build a $1 billion data centre near Invercargill, with a consent application lodged.
A Southland District Council spokesman said a land use resource consent application was received from Datagrid New Zealand Limited Partnership in mid-October.
The company is seeking to establish a carbon-neutral hyperscale data centre on its 43-hectare site at Makarewa, about 12 kilometres north of Invercargill.
The data centre could see Southland become a cheap, green hub for storing data and providing cloud computing services in New Zealand, Australia and beyond.
Southland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Sheree Carey said it was great to see progress made in another industry that would help diversify the region.
Main features of the proposed development include construction of 10 data halls [each 10MW], a 33kV electricity connection to the existing distribution line, development of a 220kV grid exit point substation and transmission line connection.
The proposal also includes construction of two administration buildings, storage sheds and waste storage areas, guard houses at the entry gates, car parking and loading areas, security fencing and outdoor lighting, underground and above ground fuel and water storage, and vehicle access ways.
The council agreed to accept the consent application for processing but have made no decisions.
Additional information has been requested, with the application on hold in the interim.
The council would make a decision on the notification pathway for the application once the requested information was provided by the applicant, the council spokesman said.
Source: The Southland Times – 4 December 2022