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$700m data centre for Southland: Proposal could hinge on an age-old question 15 Dec, 2020 04:42 AM 8 minutes to read An artist s impression of the proposed data centre proposed for Makarewa, about 7km north of Invercargill. Image / Supplied An artist s impression of the proposed data centre proposed for Makarewa, about 7km north of Invercargill. Image / Supplied Rich Lister Malcolm Dick and business partner Remi Galasso are proposing a giant, $700m data centre for Southland, which could pick up some of the slack from Meridian s Manapouri Power Station if Rio Tinto does close its Tiwai Point smelter. But although a high-tech twist for the region, it would involve an age-old question: should taxpayer-subsidised power be part of the deal? ....
Meridian Energy s generation manager, Guy Waipara, has said it was “100 per cent” behind the scheme, which aims to capitalise on Southland’s cheap, renewable power and its cool climate. The power company has agreed to provide 100 megawatts of electricity, or about an eighth of the peak output of the Manapōuri hydro scheme, to power the data centre. Supplied An artist s impression of what the Datagrid facility in North Makarewa would look like. Datagrid has selected US-owned Aecom, which employs about 700 staff in New Zealand, to design the facility. Aecom’s previous and other current engineering projects have included consulting on Auckland’s City Rail Link, Britomart, Transmission Gulley and the New Zealand Defence Force headquarters in Wellington. ....
Meridian Energy has agreed to supply Datagrid with 100 megawatts of power from the 800MW Manapouri hydro scheme. Meridian generation manager Guy Waipara said the power company had been meeting fortnightly with Datagrid over the past few months. “Every time we catch up, we get more and more confident this project is looking positive,” he said. “Remi has got a very strong track record and is going about this business with a lot of intent.” Icelandic power company Landvirkjun has helped to build up a data centre industry in Iceland. Now New Zealand may follow suit. Meridian could provide 100MW to Datagrid while still meeting its supply commitments to the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, he said. ....
Demand for cloud computing capacity has been rising steadily around the world, bringing locations for data centres that wouldn’t have appealed five or 10 years ago into play. Operators are looking for five things; cheap and ideally renewable power, proximity to large numbers of computer users, reliable internet connectivity, political stability, and ideally cheap land to build on. Getty Images Datagrid would be good for the global environment if it displaced data centres in Australia, but the employment opportunities it might generate may need to be kept in perspective (file photo). A cool climate cuts power bills and can make the overall equation add up. ....
Southland and Queenstown mayors ethuse over $700m data centre project stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.