Denver Kanowski has watched resources companies come and go from rural Queensland for 70 years. His $800 home, nestled in a gasfield near a coalmine and three gas power plants, has seen the boom and bust of coal seam gas. Last month, a new challenge arrived: a $31bn datacentre planned for 725 hectares, 15 minutes from his home, near Kogan. The project, to power Anthropic's large language model, is set on land currently occupied by a 24,000-head feedlot and surrounded by gas wells. The site, now a rural road, is expected to become Australia’s largest datacentre. Community responses have been mixed, with many echoing Kanowski’s skepticism: 'This is the power of money and the power of greed and shortsighted stupidity.' A local farmer, Liza Balmain, sees parallels between the gas industry’s past and the proposed datacentre, noting the industry’s rapid departure and the lingering economic impact. The state government has announced it will take datacentres out of local councils' hands, under a new planning framework to ensure consistency across the state. The project could bring economic benefits, but critics warn it may repeat the boom-bust cycle of previous industries. Kanowski believes the datacentre represents a different kind of harm, contributing to an online 'fantasy' world that disconnects people from real life.
The state’s new planning framework shifts responsibility to the state government, with the planning minister stating that data centres will be treated like mining, renewables, or tourism projects. However, a petition launched by a local resident has gathered over 21,500 signatures, with many questioning the project’s benefits and fearing environmental impacts.
The state government’s decision to take control of datacentre applications marks a shift in how such projects are managed. While some see it as an opportunity for the Western Downs region, others fear the global spread of AI infrastructure could have lasting negative consequences. The project’s location, near existing industrial sites, raises questions about environmental and social impacts.