00:00:00
Speaker 1: Many and varied and up in arms about the MotoGP. Just wait till data centres start popping up around Adelaide and South Australia. It's going to be MotoGP on steroids. And there's one of these now proposed for the Adelaide Hills, a 1,200 megawatt data centre at Tangkilo that's on land that's traditionally used for farming and grazing. And people in the area have raised some significant concerns about having it there. And again, As we said earlier in the program, we had a long chat about the merits otherwise of data centers to kick things off this morning. This is something that the entire world is grappling with at the moment. The demand for these things is out of control. You can make a pretty, I think, robust argument that they're propping up share markets in some of the major countries around the world. If it's not investment in AI and data centres, it's not an investment that's going on at the moment. But that's all great until there's one right next door to you, which is the case for Magda Lippert, who lives in the Adelaide Hills and joins us on 5AA Breakfast. Now, Magda, good morning to you. What's the primary concern? Is it about the use of the land there? Is it about the public amenity, the look of it? What has you guys most upset?
00:01:11
Speaker 2: Hi there. Look, there are many different areas of concern that have been raised by the 1,100 people that are currently on the Say No to the Tunkilo Hyperscale Data Centre page. Obviously, there's a look of it, but there are deeper questions concerning the land, the wildlife, livestock, the history and culture, Indigenous artwork. native trees and species, endangered species. There's a number of different concerns that are being raised by people within the group at the moment. We're getting messages every single day with new questions, and it just feels like there are more questions than there are answers at the moment.
00:01:58
Speaker 1: Is this an accumulation of development around Tangkilo, or is it specific to the data centre? Because I know that you've got the big battery energy storage development that's happening there as well.
00:02:07
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:02:08
Speaker 2: Yeah. We do have the iPatroller Best battery going in not far from here. I believe that was a project that was approved a while ago. They've been on really good engagement terms with the public. They have come and spoken to residents. We have an open line of communication for any issues and we understand that that's a part of the substation that's there. More development and particularly a data centre is going to change the landscape greatly, but it's also opening the door for this area to become an industrial zone. We're rural. We're not an industrial zone. It doesn't belong in this landscape at all.
00:02:48
Speaker 1: So the developer of this project have said, so yes, the overall site will be 220 hectares. Only 120 of that will have a development on it. The other 100 will still be available for grazing. That obviously hasn't allayed any of your concerns?
00:03:09
Speaker 2: I would like to understand first which assessments they're going to put through to ensure that the livestock that they intend to have grazing on that land won't be impacted. From what we understand that the constant light and hum noises of these data centres can create issues with circadian rhythm of livestock. I'm a primary producer. I have bees. I understand that constant light will be disruptive to the bees, to their navigation. I understand they're is research from 2024 that shows that the constant light can interrupt their, not only their navigation, but queen bee laying. From a beekeeper's perspective, we're already fighting off varroa mite in South Australia. It's certainly not something on a personal level that I want to have to contend with alongside that. This is primary grazing land. There are thousands of sheep and cows on this land. I'd like to understand what assessments have they done to put the cows out there safely and to ensure that they're not being impacted? That's just one of very many, many questions.
00:04:16
Speaker 1: Magda, thank you. Magda Lippert there on behalf of residents. The state government have sent through a statement a little bit earlier, and this has not yet. The state government have received no formal development So the developer here have said publicly, this is something we'd like to do. They haven't yet actually supplied anything to the state government for assessment or approval. Notably, the state have said that they've committed to legislating a new set of minimum standards for data centres as part of the state's data centre strategy that was released earlier this year. So presumably any approval for these kind of developments would have to wait for that minimum standard to come in.
00:04:53
Speaker 3: You'd think so, but I've been talking about for a while this one that's proposed for Bundy by a big AI company called Iron. And they have, I don't think approval is too strong a word, but they have a bit of a memorandum of agreement with Electronet about this. providing the power for that station. So there are high-level talks being had with different arms about AI data centres that are proposed in South Australia. Now, I don't know if there's been any formal approval.
00:05:24
Speaker 1: I don't believe there has been any formal approval for the IRN1.
00:05:27
Speaker 3: That's good.
00:05:27
Speaker 1: That is still the subject of these– as I understand it from chatting with the state government this morning about that. But, look, following the US midterms very closely– There is only one issue that appears Democrats and Republicans are growing in America at the moment. The reason I say America, it's ground zero for data center development. It's all the American companies. So they're obviously starting there. They all hate these things. They're not very popular. And the state government, the premier of the city has got an open mind. And I'm intrigued by what the community dividend is for the development beyond jobs in the construction process and a handful of ongoing jobs. I think it has to be greater than that. That said, as I said at the start of the program, if you want to listen to our full-fledged-out discussion about this that we had at the start of the program, do so then. I am wondering whether this is the equivalent conversation to using nuclear technology and refining our fuel here in Australia that we're having in two decades' time going, why are we the only country that isn't providing the– The heft to provide for artificial intelligence. Again, we're having to import all this stuff and we have no control over its production.
00:06:38
Speaker 3: Because we're all using AI now.
00:06:40
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:06:40
Speaker 3: And we don't have data centres here. So what benefit does the Australian public get for having a data centre here if we're already using the technology?
00:06:48
Speaker 1: That's the case that is unclear.
00:06:49
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:06:50
Speaker 1: Very unclear. And it needs to be made strongly. But get used to this debate because there's going to be lots of these, I think.
00:06:55
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Many and varied and up in arms about the MotoGP. Just wait till data centres start popping up around Adelaide and South Australia. It's going to be MotoGP on steroids. And there's one of these now proposed for the Adelaide Hills, a 1,200 megawatt data centre at Tangkilo that's on land that's traditionally used for farming and grazing. And people in the area have raised some significant concerns about having it there. And again, As we said earlier in the program, we had a long chat about the merits otherwise of data centers to kick things off this morning. This is something that the entire world is grappling with at the moment. The demand for these things is out of control. You can make a pretty, I think, robust argument that they're propping up share markets in some of the major countries around the world. If it's not investment in AI and data centres, it's not an investment that's going on at the moment. But that's all great until there's one right next door to you, which is the case for Magda Lippert, who lives in the Adelaide Hills and joins us on 5AA Breakfast. Now, Magda, good morning to you. What's the primary concern? Is it about the use of the land there? Is it about the public amenity, the look of it? What has you guys most upset?
00:01:11
Speaker 2: Hi there. Look, there are many different areas of concern that have been raised by the 1,100 people that are currently on the Say No to the Tunkilo Hyperscale Data Centre page. Obviously, there's a look of it, but there are deeper questions concerning the land, the wildlife, livestock, the history and culture, Indigenous artwork. native trees and species, endangered species. There's a number of different concerns that are being raised by people within the group at the moment. We're getting messages every single day with new questions, and it just feels like there are more questions than there are answers at the moment.
00:01:58
Speaker 1: Is this an accumulation of development around Tangkilo, or is it specific to the data centre? Because I know that you've got the big battery energy storage development that's happening there as well.
00:02:07
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:02:08
Speaker 2: Yeah. We do have the iPatroller Best battery going in not far from here. I believe that was a project that was approved a while ago. They've been on really good engagement terms with the public. They have come and spoken to residents. We have an open line of communication for any issues and we understand that that's a part of the substation that's there. More development and particularly a data centre is going to change the landscape greatly, but it's also opening the door for this area to become an industrial zone. We're rural. We're not an industrial zone. It doesn't belong in this landscape at all.
00:02:48
Speaker 1: So the developer of this project have said, so yes, the overall site will be 220 hectares. Only 120 of that will have a development on it. The other 100 will still be available for grazing. That obviously hasn't allayed any of your concerns?
00:03:09
Speaker 2: I would like to understand first which assessments they're going to put through to ensure that the livestock that they intend to have grazing on that land won't be impacted. From what we understand that the constant light and hum noises of these data centres can create issues with circadian rhythm of livestock. I'm a primary producer. I have bees. I understand that constant light will be disruptive to the bees, to their navigation. I understand they're is research from 2024 that shows that the constant light can interrupt their, not only their navigation, but queen bee laying. From a beekeeper's perspective, we're already fighting off varroa mite in South Australia. It's certainly not something on a personal level that I want to have to contend with alongside that. This is primary grazing land. There are thousands of sheep and cows on this land. I'd like to understand what assessments have they done to put the cows out there safely and to ensure that they're not being impacted? That's just one of very many, many questions.
00:04:16
Speaker 1: Magda, thank you. Magda Lippert there on behalf of residents. The state government have sent through a statement a little bit earlier, and this has not yet. The state government have received no formal development So the developer here have said publicly, this is something we'd like to do. They haven't yet actually supplied anything to the state government for assessment or approval. Notably, the state have said that they've committed to legislating a new set of minimum standards for data centres as part of the state's data centre strategy that was released earlier this year. So presumably any approval for these kind of developments would have to wait for that minimum standard to come in.
00:04:53
Speaker 3: You'd think so, but I've been talking about for a while this one that's proposed for Bundy by a big AI company called Iron. And they have, I don't think approval is too strong a word, but they have a bit of a memorandum of agreement with Electronet about this. providing the power for that station. So there are high-level talks being had with different arms about AI data centres that are proposed in South Australia. Now, I don't know if there's been any formal approval.
00:05:24
Speaker 1: I don't believe there has been any formal approval for the IRN1.
00:05:27
Speaker 3: That's good.
00:05:27
Speaker 1: That is still the subject of these– as I understand it from chatting with the state government this morning about that. But, look, following the US midterms very closely– There is only one issue that appears Democrats and Republicans are growing in America at the moment. The reason I say America, it's ground zero for data center development. It's all the American companies. So they're obviously starting there. They all hate these things. They're not very popular. And the state government, the premier of the city has got an open mind. And I'm intrigued by what the community dividend is for the development beyond jobs in the construction process and a handful of ongoing jobs. I think it has to be greater than that. That said, as I said at the start of the program, if you want to listen to our full-fledged-out discussion about this that we had at the start of the program, do so then. I am wondering whether this is the equivalent conversation to using nuclear technology and refining our fuel here in Australia that we're having in two decades' time going, why are we the only country that isn't providing the– The heft to provide for artificial intelligence. Again, we're having to import all this stuff and we have no control over its production.
00:06:38
Speaker 3: Because we're all using AI now.
00:06:40
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:06:40
Speaker 3: And we don't have data centres here. So what benefit does the Australian public get for having a data centre here if we're already using the technology?
00:06:48
Speaker 1: That's the case that is unclear.
00:06:49
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:06:50
Speaker 1: Very unclear. And it needs to be made strongly. But get used to this debate because there's going to be lots of these, I think.
00:06:55
Speaker 2: Yeah.
