Data centre plan for Miners Rest

RV Energy, the company behind plans to build a data centre in Miners Rest, has submitted a proposal to the Department of Transport and Planning.

If approved the centre would be built at the old quarry site, and would be part of what is being described as an integrated renewable energy and technology precinct.

“We’re seeking planning approval for complementary land uses at Miners Rest, on an old quarry site that can’t be farmed,” said RV Energy head of commercial Richard Simpson in a statement on 15 July.

“We are seeking planning approval for a data centre that is about 5 per cent as big as those being built by hyperscalers.”

The precinct has been forecast to create 250 direct, permanent jobs.

Simpson said any timeframes for the project were subject to planning approvals.

Veris is RV Energy’s planning partner, assisting in the site’s master planning. X2M is assisting in some early engineering design.

Within the plans, the centre would harvest waste heat to warm on-site glasshouses and support aquaculture.

Organic and agricultural waste from the surrounding farming community would be converted into renewable biogas and fertiliser for local farmers to utilise.

Battery energy storage would utilise renewable energy from the Western Renewable Energy Zone.

Heavy electric vehicle charging infrastructure would service the Melbourne-Adelaide freight corridor.

Water would be sourced from aquifer-fed lakes and a grey water supply.

The Committee for Miners Rest has taken no position on the proposal, only that they wanted residents to receive meaningful and transparent consultation as part of the process.

“We do not support or object to the proposal,” committee president David Harris said.

“The Committee for Miners Rest only advocates for the delivery of projects identified by our community through the Miners Rest Township Plan and the City of Ballarat – Advocacy Priority Projects Pipeline 2026.”

Simpson said RV Energy intends to hold community consultation sessions in due course as part of the planning process.

“At present, we have not conducted consultation with the local community as we are still at an early stage of the planning process and our site plans are still taking shape,” he said.