The Conservation Council has called for an immediate halt to new and expanded data centre developments in Canberra, warning of potential threats to the territory’s water supply and electricity network.

The council says the ACT Government is encouraging big technology companies to establish data centres without adequate environmental safeguards.

In a discussion paper, Data Centre Development in the ACT, the council calls for a moratorium on approvals until stronger ACT and Commonwealth regulations are introduced.

Executive director Dr Simon Copland said developments should not be assessed or approved before enforceable environmental standards were in place.

“The government is promising protections that don’t exist yet, while data centres continue to be approved without any environmental safeguards,” he said.

“The Chief Minister is advertising Canberra as a ‘best-in-class location’ for data centres,” Dr Copland said, despite the regulatory framework still being developed.

The council has raised concerns about water consumption, pointing to the ACT Government’s 2025 water security assessment, which projects that climate change could reduce regional water flows by 30 to 45 per cent.

The assessment also warns that temporary water restrictions could cost the ACT economy up to $300 million annually under the most extreme scenario.

Dr Copland said allowing water-intensive data centres would add to the pressure on Canberra’s water supply.

The council also highlighted the electricity demands of proposed developments.

It said Canberra Data Centre’s Beard facility, still under development, would require 40 megawatts of electricity, equivalent to more than 5 per cent of the ACT’s record peak demand.

A second proposed development, Beard 2, would require another 84 megawatts.

The council wants data centre operators to provide additional renewable energy to avoid placing pressure on the ACT’s electricity supply.

It is also calling for strict water-use limits, mandatory closed-loop cooling systems, restrictions on developments in environmentally sensitive areas and stronger electronic waste management standards.

Dr Copland said data centres should be prohibited where secure water supplies could not be guaranteed.

The council also wants early community consultation on proposed developments.

“Data centres pose enormous risks to our environment, health and wellbeing,” he said.

“In the face of the climate crisis, the government must not approve energy-intensive, water-intensive data centre developments without the proper rules to regulate them.”

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