Anthropic is in advanced discussions to anchor AirTrunk’s proposed 540-megawatt Kurri Kurri data centre in the Hunter region of New South Wales, The Australian Financial Review’s Street Talk column reported on 22 September.
Key points
- Anthropic negotiating to anchor AirTrunk’s 540MW Kurri Kurri project at former Hydro Aluminium smelter in Cessnock LGA
- Follows early September lease over Zerra DC’s A$32 billion, 2.16GW Western Downs Digital Park in Queensland
- Hunter project at roughly one-quarter the peak capacity of Queensland campus
- Kurri Kurri application remains at Prepare EIS stage; environmental impact statement not yet exhibited
- Neither Anthropic nor AirTrunk has publicly confirmed the negotiations
Queensland lease sets precedent for Australian capacity
Earlier in September, Anthropic signed its first major Australian data centre lease over Zerra DC’s Western Downs Digital Park near Dalby, about 250 kilometres west of Brisbane. The A$32 billion development on a 725-hectare site proposes a maximum capacity of 2.16 gigawatts, matching the power draw of 1.5 million Australian households, according to ABC reporting relayed by Asia Financial. The company plans to run its Claude model for user queries at the site rather than for training, and aims to begin using the centre in 2027. The lease requires Foreign Investment Review Board approval.
Kurri Kurri project at former smelter site still at Prepare EIS stage
The Kurri Kurri proposal, lodged as state significant development application SSD-128819490, covers a data centre with total power consumption of 540 megawatts at the former Hydro Aluminium smelter plant in the Cessnock local government area. The NSW Planning Portal lists the application’s current status as Prepare EIS, indicating the environmental impact statement is still being readied before public exhibition. Before any anchor agreement can commit building work, the project must pass through exhibition, submissions, assessment and determination phases under the state significant development pathway.
Policy shift on energy sources preceded Queensland commitment
A federal decision last month allowed Queensland and the Northern Territory to supply data centres with a broader mix of energy sources, including coal and gas, relaxing an earlier requirement that such facilities rely on renewables, Asia Financial reported. Queensland controls its generation, transmission and distribution networks, and the Dalby site lies near three gas-fired power stations. The Queensland investment approaches five times the public infrastructure funding pledged for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games, highlighting the scale of these private wagers.
Multi-site strategy aligns with earlier policy engagement
Anthropic and OpenAI urged Australia to ease its AI training ban in parliamentary submissions, as AI Affairs reported. The Hunter negotiations, if completed, would give Anthropic a second Australian data centre roughly one-quarter the peak capacity of the Queensland campus. Until approvals land and leases are signed, the Kurri Kurri story remains a reported negotiation backed by one outlet’s reporting and by planning documents that show a project still at the environmental assessment phase.
