Murraylands DC
Site acquisition & planning approvals working file. Enter the shared passphrase to continue.
Data Centre Site & Approvals
REGION: PALMER — MANNUM — MURRAY BRIDGE — TAILEM BEND
STATUS: PRE-ACQUISITION · REGULATORY LANDSCAPE ACTIVE
Overview
Regulatory pathway
Section 130 essential infrastructure pathway applies today via SCAP. A dedicated Data Centre & AI Infrastructure Act is being drafted, expected to hand decision-making to the Coordinator-General. Don’t lock a strategy to today’s rules alone.
Flood exposure
Both loops sit near or inside the River Murray Flood Plain Protection Area Overlay. This exact stretch (Mannum, Murray Bridge) was hit in the 2022/23 floods.
Grid access
Tailem Bend has an existing 275kV ElectraNet substation and solar farm. Firmus Technologies has already flagged nearby sites for its own AI factory project.
Option 1 vs Option 2
Option 1 — Mannum–Murray Bridge loop
Footprint: Smaller, tighter loop from just south of Palmer down through Mannum to the northern edge of Murray Bridge.
Read from the map: Closest to the river of the two — higher proportion likely inside/adjacent to the flood overlay. Closer to existing road infrastructure.
Open questions: Confirm overlay boundary against title; not near Tailem Bend’s 275kV infrastructure, so grid connection cost/timeline is unknown — needs an ElectraNet feasibility check.
Option 2 — Palmer–Murray Bridge–Tailem Bend loop
Footprint: Larger loop extending east and south to Tailem Bend.
Read from the map: Reaches the Tailem Bend 275kV substation and solar farm — strongest grid signal of the two. Still runs alongside the river for a long stretch, so flood exposure needs checking along its full length.
Open questions: Firmus has flagged interest near Tailem Bend already; larger loop likely spans more than one council area and possibly more than one native title boundary.
Approvals & permits tracker
Ticks save to this browser only — see note above.
Planning & land use
Utilities & technical
Heritage & cultural
Environment
Legal & commercial
Regulatory tracking
Who to engage
| Organisation / role | Why |
|---|---|
| Town planning consultancy | Runs the SCAP / essential infrastructure application, manages Planning & Design Code assessment. |
| Planning & environment lawyer | Needs to be tracking the Data Centre and AI Infrastructure Act as it’s drafted, not just today’s PDI Act rules (e.g. Kelledy Jones Lawyers has been publishing on this). |
| ElectraNet | Transmission connection feasibility and capacity — the likely real critical path. |
| SA Water | Mandatory written supply-sufficiency advice required for the application. |
| EPA South Australia | Noise, discharge, contamination referral. |
| Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority | This stretch of the Murraylands is Ngarrindjeri country — early, genuine engagement. |
| Native Vegetation Council | Clearance assessment if vegetated land falls inside the final boundary. |
| Hydrology / flood engineer | Independent flood study for parcels touching the overlay. |
| Technical Regulator | Issues the compliance certificate required for the application. |
| Land title / conveyancing due diligence | Title, easements, leases, native title notations. |
Live risks & genuine unknowns
Rules could change mid-process
The Data Centre and AI Infrastructure Act hasn’t been drafted yet. Don’t commit to a strategy without a lawyer actively tracking the draft.
Not a paperwork problem
If either loop sits meaningfully inside the flood plain overlay, that’s a facility-viability issue, not a box to tick.
Tailem Bend isn’t empty ground
Firmus Technologies has already flagged sites near Tailem Bend for its own AI factory project (Project Southgate).
Grid access is a claim, not a fact yet
Needs an actual ElectraNet connection feasibility study — SA peak demand is projected to roughly double over 15 years.
Could be the longest pole in the tent
Aboriginal heritage clearance and native title engagement take real time — start early.
Confirm what the coloured lines are
Overlay the real ElectraNet network map and Native Vegetation Council mapping on the actual parcels before relying on the hand-drawn loops.