{"id":380511,"date":"2026-03-05T14:05:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T04:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=380511"},"modified":"2026-03-05T14:06:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T04:06:39","slug":"cloud-carrier-proposes-gas-fired-power-station-to-power-moss-vale-ai-data-centre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=380511","title":{"rendered":"Cloud Carrier proposes gas-fired power station to power Moss Vale AI data centre"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A small town in the NSW Southern Highlands 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 run a data-processing complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposal from Sydney company Cloud Carrier would see three data centres and a 700-megawatt (MW) power station built on a site six kilometres from Moss Vale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The power plant would be made up of 21 reciprocating engines, rather than the turbines used in traditional peaking power stations, generating enough energy to run 70,000 homes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the state prepares for more and more data centres to come online in the AI age, the project provides an insight into their enormous energy requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Toby Walsh, an AI expert, says the project should be rolled out in a responsible way. (ABC News: Berge Breiland)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Professor Toby Walsh is chief scientist at the University of NSW AI Institute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I don’t think we fully appreciate the physical size of the infrastructure that’s needed to give us AI services, to give us the digital services that we’re increasingly using,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

“If we’re not careful, this is going to be another major sink of electricity and also a use of valuable water.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

“We’ve got to roll this out in a responsible way.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are already 90 data-centre projects up and running in NSW and dozens more approved or in the planning pipeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“NSW is really keen to see the investment and the potential in terms of data centres,” Environment Minister Penny Sharpe told Budget Estimates last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

“You can’t go anywhere without people talking about AI, talking about the importance of data centres.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Gas for data<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cloud Carrier has already constructed one small data centre on the site, and hopes to have the full “campus” up and running in five to eight years.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Greg Jackson says gas-fired generation is the company’s best option. (ABC Illawarra: Penny Burfitt)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Its lead engineer, Greg Jackson, said the company was building essential infrastructure needed for the country’s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Potentially, you could support the data requirements of the federal government in this space,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the project would use no town water, thanks to a chip-cooling system that recycled water harvested on site on a loop.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
The data centre recycles the same water, supplied from its own harvesting on-site. (ABC News: Toby Hemmings)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

But he said the amount of power needed for the high-capacity chips used to store and process AI exceeded the grid’s capability in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“For reliability and economic reasons, pipeline natural gas is a suitable fuel,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

“That is transitioning to more renewable fuels and as they become available, we will transition our plant to use those fuels.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Greg Jackson says Cloud Carrier plans to build 21 gas-fired generator halls to run their AI data centres. (ABC Illawarra: Penny Burfitt)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Mr Jackson said the company would treat its emissions and reduce the plant’s pollutants to well below the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s limits for the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the company wanted to be “a partner in the region,” and was committed to employing from the local area.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cloud Carrier plans to power its data centres with on-site gas-fired engines, producing enough energy to power 70,000 homes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90574,"featured_media":380608,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,12785],"tags":[19770,10114,5026],"class_list":["post-380511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-data-centre","tag-cloud-carrier","tag-moss-vale","tag-nsw"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t