Gingerah refers 1GW Kimberley data centre for federal review
The staged plan starts at 48MW, pairs 6.7GW of wind and solar with 5GWh of batteries, and targets a 2029 investment decision.
- Source Briefing
- Read original source · Enerdata
Gingerah Energy has put Project Meridien, a proposed off-grid data centre and renewable energy hub in Western Australia’s Kimberley region, forward for evaluation under the federal EPBC Act. Enerdata reported on 27 October that a government release dated 21 October lists the referral. A referral is the start of a federal environmental process. It is not an approval, and nothing in the report says the project has any approval at all.
Why it matters
Meridien is pitched as a self-contained site with no connection to an external grid, in the Kimberley rather than near Perth. For Perth readers, it shows one way a proposed part of the state’s data centre pipeline is being designed: its own generation and storage built alongside the compute.
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For WA builders, electrical contractors and civil firms, it is also a long-dated pipeline marker. The developer’s own timetable puts the first construction start in 2029, so any work is years away and depends on approvals and funding that have not been reported.
The numbers
Enerdata reports the plan as a 1GW data centre built in five stages of 48MW, 120MW, 240MW, 620MW and 1,000MW. Power would come from about 5.2GW of solar and 1.5GW of wind, a combined 6.7GW, backed by 5GWh of battery storage, flowing through an internal microgrid.
The report says firming capacity is also planned, using cold-water energy storage, though the technology is not specified. Gingerah’s chief executive is reported as saying gas could supply about 15% of the project’s energy, with wind and solar covering roughly 85%. The report does not name the chief executive or give a site area or project cost.
What’s next
The developer’s targets, as reported, are a final investment decision for the first phase in 2029, with construction starting that year, progressive commissioning over 2030 to 2032, and full build-out by 2038. These are targets, not commitments.
The next public step is the federal decision on how the referral will be handled. Watch for the referral documents themselves, which should show the site, land area and clearing footprint that the Enerdata summary leaves out, and for any state or local planning steps. Until then, the project is a proposal with a published staging plan and no reported approvals, tenant or funding.
Quick answers
What is the latest on Project Meridien?
The staged plan starts at 48MW, pairs 6.7GW of wind and solar with 5GWh of batteries, and targets a 2029 investment decision.
Which companies are named in the Project Meridien story?
Gingerah Energy is named in this story, which cites Enerdata.
What are the key numbers for Project Meridien?
data centre, staged: 1GW; wind and solar: 6.7GW; battery storage: 5GWh; investment decision target: 2029.
Sources
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Filed by the AusDev Perth Desk. How we report.