Gingerah Energy files plans for 1 GW off-grid data centre south of Broome

Privately owned Gingerah Energy has referred Project Meridien, an off-grid data centre complex in Western Australia's Kimberley region, to the federal EPBC process to determine whether it is a controlled action. The referral sets out a plan for a 1 GW data centre supported by 5.2 GW of solar, 1.5 GW of wind, 1.5 GW of gas generation and a 5 GWh battery, targeted for 2038.

The site covers 27,520 hectares, about 100 km south of Broome, on land owned by the Karajarri people. Development would be staged, starting with 48 MW of IT load and rising to 240 MW, 620 MW and then 1,000 MW, with construction on the first two stages expected to begin from 2029.

Gingerah Energy chief executive Jop van Hattum said wind and solar should meet 85 per cent of the data centre's energy needs, including cooling, with gas covering the remaining 15 per cent. He said the site could in theory run on the gas plant alone, but that would use up most of Western Australia's gas, which governments would not welcome. Van Hattum put the total cost, including the data centres, at potentially more than $40 billion. By comparison, he said, a 400 km fibre link to the submarine cable at Port Hedland to Singapore would cost about $80 million.

Gingerah Energy is a joint venture between the Karajarri Traditional Lands Association, Perth-based Longreach Capital Investment and Dutch geo-data company Fugro, and it holds an Indigenous Land Use Agreement. Fugro reported a €21 million ($35.6 million) loss for 2025 and has struggled to make its renewables business profitable. The parties have lodged a Western Australia planning application and are close to making a submission to the state's environmental authority.

Van Hattum said the venture could "potentially" bring in outside capital and help from other companies. He told Renew Economy: "We are well funded to work through the development process." He said the group is looking for project partners for the energy system and data centre, and for an anchor tenant.

Renew Economy noted that other remote Western Australian renewable proposals have targeted hydrogen, green steel and data centres, including Fortescue's 200 MW set aside for data centres or third parties and Intercontinental Energy's 16 GW Australian Renewable Energy Hub. It said failures such as Infinite Green Energy show nothing is certain until a final investment decision is made. Van Hattum argued data centres are a more favourable market than hydrogen or green steel, despite what he called a current correction driven by overvalued companies and speculation. He said "the constraining factor is power and we can deliver that in spades with the amount of land and community support that we have".