By https://www.abc.net.au/news/penny-burfitt/101590672
Publication Date: 2026-03-04 03:59:00
A small town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales is watching the AI revolution take shape in its backyard as plans emerge to build one of the state’s largest gas-fired power stations to power a data processing complex.
The proposal from Sydney company Cloud Carrier would see the construction of three data centers and a 700 megawatt (MW) power plant on a site six kilometers from Moss Vale.
The power plant would consist of 21 piston engines instead of the turbines used in traditional peaking power plants and would produce enough energy to power 70,000 homes
As the state prepares for more and more data centers to come online in the age of AI, the project offers a glimpse into their enormous energy needs.
Toby Walsh, an AI expert, says the project should be implemented in a responsible manner. (ABC News: Berge Breiland)
Professor Toby Walsh is a senior scientist at the AI Institute at the University of NSW.
“I don’t think we fully appreciate the physical size of the infrastructure required to deliver AI…”
