Western Downs Digital Park outlines air-cooled, rainwater-fed operations for Queensland data centre project

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Highlights

Western Downs Digital Park will use air-cooling and harvested rainwater, requiring 21,000 litres per data centre daily, ensuring operations even during droughts like 2019.
Anthropic has leased the first of four data centres, planned to open in 2027; tenants will directly pay for electricity under Zerra DC’s landlord model.
Project promises 1,500 construction jobs annually and 1,400 ongoing roles, but faces community concerns about local impact and rising Queensland power prices without firm regulatory obligations.

Project design and utility model

As reported by ABC News, planning documents for the proposed Western Downs Digital Park say the four-building project near Dalby would rely on air-cooling and harvested rainwater rather than bores or town water.

Singapore-based developer Zerra DC says each data centre building would need 21,000 litres of water a day, a level it compares with a small shopping centre. Chief data centre officer Matt Ward says modelling indicates the site would still collect enough rainwater to keep operating even under drought conditions such as those seen in 2019, when Dalby received less than 200 millimetres of rain.

Ward says the facilities would be housed in large buildings with about 35,000 square metres of roof space, allowing rainfall capture to support operations. He also says the first of the four planned data centres has been leased by Anthropic, with use expected as early as 2027.

On electricity supply, Ward says artificial intelligence tenants such as Anthropic would be responsible for paying for the power they require. He describes Zerra DC's role as similar to that of a commercial landlord, with the tenant carrying the cost of power supply.

Regional impact and community scrutiny

The proposal arrives as the federal government works on a framework that would require data centres to bring as much power into the electricity grid as they take out. Climate Energy Finance director Tim Buckley says the unresolved issue is who ultimately funds that added generation, and argues both developers and customers need to be held accountable for committing to new renewable power.

He warns that without firm obligations over the life of projects, electricity prices across Queensland could rise. That concern adds to broader questions in the Western Downs about how much value the multi-billion-dollar development would deliver locally.

Zerra DC has started community consultation, shifting its drop-in sessions to run from midday to 8pm after initially holding them during the day last week. Dalby resident Robyn Sheehan says she attended because she is frustrated by what she sees as repeated empty promises from large industries, and she argues the project would damage farming land and local lifestyles.

Zerra DC says the development would support 1,500 jobs per year during construction and 1,400 ongoing roles once fully operational. Ward says the site would require round-the-clock staff across mechanical, electrical, security and engineering functions, which he says would reshape the local economy.

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