17 August 2026

Following the release of the NSW Government’s long-awaited Data Centre Guidelines, and subsequent disappointment at their contents, the Greens NSW have called for a moratorium on AI Data Centre developments.

The Guidelines, which received ringing endorsement from Industry representatives, are inadequate to meet the scale of the issues presented by the anti-social AI data centre boom. The 17 principles in the Guidelines are not mandatory, and even if agreed to have no enforcement criteria underneath them, and no public reporting requirements.

Quotes attributable to Abigail Boyd, Greens NSW Spokesperson for Industry, Energy, and Treasury, and Chair of the Public Accountability and Works Committee inquiry into Data Centres in NSW:

“These Guidelines reinforce the Greens’ call for a moratorium on AI data centres. The rules are inadequate, and the renewable energy capacity is not there to meet the demands of these destructive projects. For years to come, these projects, if approved, will drive up the State’s fossil fuel emissions. These guidelines make no mention whatsoever of the State’s legislated climate goals. That omission is clearly by design.

“These so-called guidelines are nothing more than a formalisation of the NSW Labor Government’s tech-bro concierge service. They are the most meagre, unenforceable, opt-in expression of preferences conceivable. These guidelines have clearly been developed as industry cover for an AI driven data centre build-out that is increasingly being rejected by the community. It’s appalling that in the face of that growing opposition, the NSW Government’s response is to ram these projects through even faster, before the public can have a say.

“Community opposition to data centres in Australia and here in NSW is growing more furious by the day, but in the face of that backlash the NSW Government is rolling out the red carpet and offering lightning fast planning approvals, on the back of the weakest possible unenforceable guidelines.

“The data centre industry and the multinational big tech companies backing them up must be delighted to have found such a willing and credulous government.

“These so-called guidelines are replete with claims of being world-leading, but on every measure they fall short of international comparisons.

“Under these requirements, emissions will increase. That is a fact. By the government's own numbers, data centres will go from five per cent of the state's electricity usage to eleven per cent by 2030. These guidelines do not require a single one of them to bring their own power for the first three years they operate.

“Under these rules, a data centre can be certified one hundred per cent renewable and still run on coal every single night. Nothing requires linking the electricity to when the data centre is using it. The storage requirements don’t have to benefit the grid in any way - it can charge up on coal-fired power at three in the morning, sell it back at the evening peak, and still count as backing up renewables.

“Despite all of the money, secrecy and risk surrounding these projects, unlike in other leading jurisdictions the most important resource consumption data will remain secret. This suits the interests of the industry just fine, and leaves the public utterly in the dark.

“There’s a high chance that this policy will result in power bills for everyday customers going up. And we will have no way of knowing, because the guidelines have no way of measuring, and no way of enforcing the rhetorical arguments against increased bills.