A 1-Gigawatt Data Hub for the Barkly Region
Energy North has unveiled plans for Project Ares, a massive off-grid data center campus situated at Murranji Station in the Northern Territory, roughly 683 kilometers south of Darwin. The development, now under public review by the federal environment department, hinges on a hybrid energy model. It will integrate gas-fired power, solar arrays, and battery storage to fuel an initial computing capacity of 1 gigawatt.
Infrastructure on a Massive Scale
The footprint for Project Ares is vast, spanning 19,150 hectares. Of this total, data halls will occupy 90 hectares, while a solar farm is projected to cover up to 7,000 hectares. Energy North, a subsidiary of Raggiana Global led by Scott Criddle, intends to execute the build in carefully sequenced phases.
According to Data Center Dynamics, the first phase carries an estimated price tag of AU$11.9 billion. This initial investment aims to deliver 1 gigawatt of capacity, split into two 500MW stages. The technical blueprint is ambitious: 1,038MW of hydrogen-ready gas generation, 3GW of solar power, and 16GWh of battery storage. Long-term, the company expects the site to scale beyond 5GW.
Navigating Federal and Territorial Approvals
While the project has secured Commonwealth Major Project Status—streamlining federal coordination—it has yet to receive formal approval. The proposal is currently under scrutiny by the Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority. Before a single shovel hits the dirt, it must clear the rigorous requirements of the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. The current public comment period invites scrutiny regarding the project’s specific environmental footprint and energy consumption.
Gas as a Bridge in the Beetaloo Basin
The facility is slated for the Barkly region, placing it in close proximity to the Beetaloo basin, a known hotbed for domestic gas production. Energy North frames its gas-fired component as a reliability bridge, asserting that the site is engineered to pivot toward higher renewable energy integration as it matures. By operating “behind the meter” and completely off-grid, the developers hope to sidestep the capacity bottlenecks currently plaguing electricity grids in regions like western Sydney.
A Competitive Landscape of Hyperscale Plans
Project Ares is one of roughly 12 data center proposals currently lodged across the Northern Territory. While the local government is aggressively courting hyperscale developers to leverage the region’s abundant land and solar potential, the industry is facing a sharper lens regarding its power usage. High-profile projects elsewhere in Australia, including those backed by Nvidia, have faced similar demands to map out concrete paths toward decarbonization.
Energy North estimates a final investment decision could arrive 12 to 18 months after environmental approvals are secured. Construction is expected to follow a similar timeline.
Worth a look