Beetaloo Energy Australia’s subsidiary Beetaloo Digital has secured exclusive rights from the Northern Territory (NT) Government over a 185ha site at Weddell to develop a data centre and power generation project, which could attract up to A$40bn ($28bn) in private investment.
The land allocation will enable Beetaloo Digital to pursue its proposed development of two hyperscale AI data centre campuses powered by gas from the Beetaloo Basin.
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These data centre campuses will be powered by up to 2GW of on-site gas-fired generation.
Beetaloo Energy’s gas will be used as the primary fuel source, with commercial production from the Beetaloo Basin expected to commence this year.
Company projections suggest the project could require up to 200 terajoules of gas per day per gigawatt of computing power.
The Weddell site, which offers greenfield conditions and proximity to Darwin’s subsea cable infrastructure, has been granted on an exclusive basis to Beetaloo Digital.
This arrangement is intended to support the company in conducting pre-front-end engineering studies and forming a consortium of partners in data centre development, power generation, and pipeline infrastructure.
The land exclusivity is expected to help the company secure joint venture partners and advance planning.
Beetaloo Digital anticipates that the project could deliver up to 5,000 construction jobs and support around 350 long-term operational roles, with hiring focused on the Darwin and Palmerston regions rather than fly-in-fly-out workers.
Beetaloo Energy managing director Alex Underwood said: “The NT Government’s grant of exclusivity over strategically located land at Weddell is a milestone for Beetaloo Energy and for the Northern Territory.
“The Weddell site gives us a strong foundation to advance discussions with potential consortium partners, scale, proximity to existing and planned infrastructure, and Beetaloo Energy’s significant gas resources.”
The site’s location is intended to complement the Territory Government’s planned Darwin Energy Hub. The project remains subject to completion of concept studies, securing consortium partners, and government and regulatory approvals.
According to Beetaloo Digital, the continuous energy demands of hyperscale data centres could support the long-term development of the basin’s gas resources.
