Developer appeals council rejection of data centre power plant

A property developer has taken a local council to court over a rejected gas power station in Moss Vale, New South Wales. Nakar Property wants to build a 16-megawatt gas plant to power a data centre campus. Wingecarribee Shire Council refused the application, so the company appealed to the Land and Environment Court. The project is worth 23 million Australian dollars. A nearby substation needs upgrades before the electricity grid can reliably supply the data centre. The developer says the gas plant would only run for about two years until those upgrades are finished. Data centres need constant power to keep servers running. Several experts, including air-quality and engineering consultants, have given evidence in court. Cross-examination of further expert witnesses is still scheduled to continue.