A gigawatt-scale data center and energy project is being proposed outside Adelaide in South Australia.

Announced this week, Quantum DC is seeking approval to build the Tungkillo Compute and Energy Hub, a large-scale data center and power campus.

Proposed to be constructed at 312 Collins Road in Tungkillo, some 55km (34 miles) east of Adelaide in South Australia, Quantum aims to develop three data center buildings and two substations, as well as on-site natural gas-powered turbines. The site is set to be co-located with battery energy storage projects that are being developed separately under separate applications.

Delivered in three stages, the campus could total 1.2GW at full build-out. The first stage is anticipated to commence operations in 2028, with the full development completed by 2031.

Quantum said the site would not rely on diesel generators for back-up power. The company said the on-site gas turbines would only be used when “wind and solar output is low,” and not continuously.

However, the firm also says the project is designed so that wind and solar would supply around 80 percent of the electricity the data center uses, with the on-site gas-fired generation supplying around 20 percent. It also noted that the hub's on-site generation will also supply electricity into the grid at times.

The site covers approximately 220 hectares. Approximately 120 hectares will be developed; the remaining will stay undeveloped as grazing land.

Built to Tier IV standards, the site would use a closed-loop cooling system to reduce water use.

Quantum DC said it intends to lodge a development application through South Australia's Essential Infrastructure/Crown assessment pathway. The Minister for Planning will make the final decision on the proposal.

Tungkillo is Quantum DC’s first project. The company is led by Melbourne-based real estate developer Alby Tomassi.

A Change.org petition against the Tungkillo project has gathered more than 1,600 signatures at the time of writing. A Facebook group against the project has more than 3,300 members.

Sarah Hanson-Young, a South Australian senator for the Greens, said in a post: “Our beautiful Adelaide Hills are not the place for a power- and water-hungry data center.”

Australian AI cloud company Firmus is also planning two large sites in South Australia. It is developing one outside Adelaide in Tailem Bend, some 65km south of Tungkillo, that could total 1GW across eight buildings, built in phases from next year out to 2028. Firmus is also targeting a campus further south in Stirling North that would total around 1.3GW.