A proposed massive new data centre would require more than six times the total demand of the Darwin and Katherine electricity grids to operate and be powered by gas piped direct from the Northern Territory's Beetaloo Basin.

The territory’s ambitions to expand into data centres and rare earths hinge on a huge gas resource and its potential to deliver cheap and plentiful power.

The ambitious project would provide a large new market for Beetaloo gas but has sparked an immediate backlash from green groups.

Energy North wants to build a 1GW off-grid AI data centre at Murranji Station in Australia’s gas-rich Barkly region, with the full project reported at around $28bn.

A proposed massive new data centre would require more than six times the total demand of the Darwin and Katherine electricity grids to operate and be powered by gas piped direct…