July 19, 2026
Queensland’s Supernode (above) development is a AU$2.5 billion data centre complex powered by locally generated renewable energy and energy storage. Image: Quinbrook.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said that large-scale data centres will be legally required to put at least as much energy into the grid as they draw from it, and that this supply must be renewable energy.
Albanese made the comments on 15 July at the University of Sydney whilst revealing that these measures would be introduced as part of a wider national framework for artificial intelligence (AI).
Speaking to an audience including global AI investors and industry representatives, Albanese confirmed the government would establish Australian Standards covering the siting, energy obligations and water use that will apply to the next generation of large-scale data centres.
