澳大利亚数据中心的电力需求预计将在未来十年大幅攀升，从当前电网平均需求的2%上升至约10%[1]。具体而言，数据中心电力消耗将从2024-25年的300兆瓦增至2035年中期的3.2吉瓦[1]，涉及高达1350亿澳元的投资[1]。然而，新发电厂的建设速度远跟不上这一增长步伐，导致电力供应与需求之间出现严重失衡。
根据Baringa报告预测，如果不采取措施应对这一缺口，新南威尔士州和维多利亚州的电价分别可能上涨26%和23%[1]。能源专家警告，数据中心将抢占现有电力供应，加重电网压力[1]。涡轮机短缺进一步加剧了这一问题，客户目前需等待至少三年才能获得燃气电厂涡轮机[1]。
为缓解这一困境，政府需要采取积极行动。若建成额外3.2吉瓦可再生能源容量，电价涨幅可显著降低至新南威尔士州7%和维多利亚州6%[1]。总理阿尔巴尼斯已宣布数据中心需要生成其使用的电量[1]。专家普遍认为，政府必须制定明确的可再生能源配套政策并大幅扩建输电网络，方能应对这一挑战[1]。
Australia's data centre sector is experiencing explosive growth, but the nation's power generation capacity is struggling to keep pace, creating what energy experts warn could become a critical infrastructure mismatch.[1] Electricity demand from data centres is projected to surge from 300 megawatts in 2024-25 to 3.2 gigawatts by the mid-2030s, representing a more than tenfold increase.[1] This expansion would push data centres' share of total grid demand from approximately 2 percent currently to around 10 percent within a decade.[1]
The supply shortfall poses significant economic risks. According to modelling by Baringa, without intervention, electricity prices in New South Wales and Victoria could rise by 26 percent and 23 percent respectively.[1] However, if an additional 3.2 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity is developed in tandem, price increases could be contained to 7 percent and 6 percent in those same states.[1] The data centre sector is attracting substantial investment, with approximately 135 billion Australian dollars expected to flow into the sector.[1]
Barriers to meeting this demand include a severe shortage of gas turbines, with customers facing wait times of at least three years to obtain turbines for new power plants.[1] Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has stated that data centres must generate the electricity they consume.[1] Energy experts have emphasized that without clear government policy on renewable energy development and major expansion of transmission infrastructure, data centres will compete for existing power supplies, further straining the system.[1] New South Wales and Victoria are experiencing the fastest growth in data centre capacity.[1]