The Greens warn that Prime Minister Albanese will push power prices up 13% in Queensland if he locks in his capitulation on coal and gas powered data centres.
Prior to yesterday's National Cabinet, the Energy Minister was warning that allowing states to give data centre approvals without a renewable energy requirement would make power more expensive for all Australians.
Despite this warning of cost-of-living pain from his own government ministers, the Prime Minister prioritised fossil fuels and big AI yesterday.
The Greens have called for a moratorium on data centre approvals until regulations are in place to protect communities, the environment and water security. Renewable energy would be a minimum expectation of data centre standards, and has been pursued elsewhere in the world including Germany, Ireland and China.
Leader of the Australian Greens, Senator Larissa Waters said:
"What an extraordinary capitulation on a promise made by the Prime Minister only a month ago that tech giants would need to underwrite renewable energy supply if they are going to drain the grid with power hungry data centres.
"The Government themselves admitted that letting power hungry data centres use coal and gas will push power prices up by 13%. Queenslanders would be the hardest hit during this cost of living crisis.
"AI is the new extractive industry, and we are watching our government sell out Australians' interests to the highest tech bro corporate bidder.
"This is about the future of Australia's energy and water security.
"Once again the Prime Minister is bending the knee to big corporations and shafting Australians and nature.
"Too many people are already doing it tough - with workers facing losing their jobs due to AI, they shouldn't be paying the price by paying more on every power bill too.
"If Labor locks this in, it means that millions of Australians will be paying for AI every time they turn on the lights or air conditioning.
"If the PM wants to legislate data centre standards, he should start by reverting back to his original commitment to require data centres to be powered by renewable energy.
"There needs to be a moratorium on the rollout of data centres until regulation is in place to regulate the impact they have on energy, water use, people and the environment."
