Data centres are coming to Sydney. Here's what the inquiry is about, without the jargon.
The quick, plain-English version of our case study — the gist of what's happening and what came out of the four hearings, for anyone who hasn't been following the detail.
What's this all about?
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What is a data centre?
A large building full of computers — the kind that run the internet, cloud services and AI. A single site can cover several warehouses' worth of floor space.
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Why does it matter?
They use a lot of electricity and water, and they give off heat. A single large site can draw as much power as a small town.
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What's the concern?
Many are being built in Western Sydney, which already sees some of the country's hottest summers. The question is whether they add to the heat, strain the power grid or take water the city needs — and whether it's being planned properly.
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Who's looking at it?
A NSW parliamentary committee. It ran a public inquiry — four hearings where companies, experts, councils and community groups gave evidence.
The four hearings.
Four hearings across May 2026, each bringing a different set of voices in front of the committee.
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Hearing 1 1 May
The data-centre industry went first. Their headline message: water and energy use is modest. Others questioned whether those figures — mostly drawn from industry-commissioned reports — told the full story.
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Hearing 2 8 May
Universities, a regional operator and local councils. The detail that stood out: one proposed site planned 49 diesel backup generators. The numbers from week one started to get picked apart.
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Hearing 3 22 May
The grid and water operators, regulators and community. The companies that run the power network said the demand to connect is enormous. Residents near a large proposed site in Lane Cove described what it would mean to live next to it.
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Hearing 4 29 May · final
The three NSW electricity networks appeared together. Their forecast: data centres could grow from about 4% of the state's power today to as much as a third by 2040 — but sharing the network could actually lower everyone's bills. Community groups asked for a pause until heat and cost impacts are properly assessed.
Where is this happening?
Two maps, no jargon. One shows where the big new sites are landing. The other shows how close they can be to homes. Both are real, live maps — drag to move, use + / − to zoom.
The new sites are clustering in Western Sydney
And some sit right next to homes
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