‘Meridien’ AI data centre – EPBC referral

Federal public comment is now open on the Kimberley’s first large-scale AI data centre proposal. It's thought that this AI data centre, if approved, will be used to help train AI models internationally. 

Located 100 km south of Broome on iconic pindan country, and just 15 km south-east of Bidyadanga, Gingerah Energy’s Meridien proposal has a monstrous footprint, around 3.3 times larger than Sydney Harbour.

The proposal is a joint venture between Fugro Exploration Pty Ltd, a primarily Dutch-owned company, and Longreach Renewable Energies Pty Ltd. Its parent company, Longreach Capital Investment Pty Ltd, owns Theia Energy, a company that has previously applied to the WA EPA to undertake fracking in the Kimberley.

The proposal lies within known habitat for threatened species, including the Greater Bilby and blue-tongue skinks and raises serious concerns about impacts on migratory birds.

Please take action: We are calling for the project to be rejected due to insufficient information in the proposal by the proponent. There’s not enough information about impacts to migratory birds, impacts from water extraction and where the gas would come from. One of the companies owns Theia Energy which applied to do fracking and then withdrew the proposal. Failing this happening, it should be assessed at the highest level.

Image: Facebook 

Kimberley AI data centre: make a submission here

    Dear National Environmental Protection Agency,

    I am making a submission against The Gingerah Energy Pty Ltd ‘Meridien’ AI data centre proposal (EPBC Number: 2026/10654).

    • The ‘Meridien’ AI data centre proposal in the southern Kimberley is a Controlled Action under the EPBC Act.
    • [Environs Kimberley recommends and calls for/I want] a full, public EPBC Act assessment of the ‘Meridien’ AI data centre proposal at the highest level and addressing ALL relevant Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES) and ALL stages of development. 
    • HOWEVER, because the proponent has provided insufficient information in its referral documents, it is not possible for the Minister to make an informed decision as to the full extent of Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES) that may be significantly impacted by the proposal.
    • THEREFORE, the Minister should reject this referral under s76 of the EPBC Act and advise the proponent that further information is needed to determine the MNES in relation to the assessment (i.e., in addition to EPBC-listed threatened species and ecological communities).
    • Specifically, the proponent must provide further information in relation to the following MNES in order to determine their status as Controlling Provisions: 
      • Water resources impacted by unconventional (fracked) gas supply for proposed power station (‘the EPBC water trigger’); 
      • Migratory species;
      • Ramsar wetlands (Eighty Mile Beach; Mandora).
    • In relation to water resources, because the proponent is proposing to develop a huge (1,500MW) gas-fired power station to provide ‘firming capacity’ for this AI data centre and because of previous attempts in this area, and by a company associated with this JV, to access unconventional hydrocarbons from the Canning basin, there is a real risk that the unspecified source of gas for the power station will be from fracking, with potentially significant additional cumulative impacts on local and regional groundwater resources. The gas source and impacts must be assessed as part of the proposal, under the EPBC ‘water resources impacted by unconventional gas’ MNES.
    • The Minister must not accredit the WA Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to conduct this assessment, as requested by the proponent (see Attachment 8 to referral). Since the WA Cook Government's interventions in 2023/4, the once-independent WA EPA has become focused on fast-tracking project approvals, not environmental protection.

    Yours sincerely,
    [Your name and email will be added automatically]

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