A North Queensland company is progressing plans for a renewable-powered artificial intelligence data centre worth as much as A$2.2 billion near Charters Towers.
Australian Energy and Water Corporation is proposing the Latan Data Centre and Renewable Energy Project on a 172.9-hectare site about 24 kilometres south of Charters Towers.
Depending on its final scale, the development is expected to cost between A$600 million and A$2.2 billion and provide computing capacity for artificial intelligence, cloud services and space technology across the Asia-Pacific region.
Solar and batteries built into project
The proposal includes around 150 megawatts of on-site solar generation and 480 megawatts of battery storage, alongside renewable power purchase agreements.
The developer is also considering a future connection to Queensland’s CopperString electricity network.
Unlike many large data centres that require substantial amounts of water for cooling, Latan proposes a closed-loop cooling system using water transported to the site, reducing pressure on local supplies.
Construction could begin in late 2027 or early 2028.
Initial capacity of between 20 and 30 megawatts would then be progressively expanded, with the company targeting 100 megawatts by 2029.
The project is expected to create around 100 construction jobs and as many as 16 permanent positions.
The proposal shows how Australia’s AI infrastructure boom is beginning to move beyond Sydney and Melbourne, with regional areas offering something increasingly valuable to developers: land, renewable energy and access to large-scale power infrastructure.
