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Project Meridien Referral Opens for Public Comment

lite News Desk 2 min read

Gingerah Energy’s proposed Project Meridien data-centre campus in Western Australia is at the public-comment stage, according to the federal EPBC Act portal. The invitation, published on 21 October 2026 under referral number 2026/10654, concerns a development with a proposed maximum IT load of 1,000MW.

The referral places the campus at La Grange in the Kimberley, approximately 100km south of Broome. It identifies a 27,520-hectare site across two pastoral leases within the Shire of Broome. According to Certified Strategic, Gingerah submitted the referral on 16 September 2026; the subsequent portal entry invited comments rather than recording project approval.

Gingerah’s project materials describe an electricity supply based on a private microgrid, without reliance on a state-grid connection. Planned generation comprises approximately 5,200MW of solar capacity and 1,500MW of wind capacity. Batteries would provide storage of up to 5,000MWh, equivalent to 5GWh; these units measure the amount of energy stored.

For periods when renewable production is insufficient, the proposed design includes dispatchable thermal capacity of up to approximately 1,500MW. The materials identify open-cycle gas turbines as the reference technology for this firming role. These specifications describe the planned off-grid system, not an operating installation.

Capacity stages listed in the proposal are 48MW, 120MW, 240MW, 620MW and a maximum of 1,000MW. Certified Strategic reported that the project description leaves out the 120MW stage. The indicative schedule places the anticipated start of construction for a 240MW phase in 2029, with commissioning across 2030–2032. Expansion to the maximum capacity is planned for approximately 2032–2038, conditional on market demand.

Potential effects identified in the referral include those on the greater bilby and northern blue-tongued skink. Gingerah’s reported position was that the proposal was likely to constitute a controlled action under federal environmental legislation. The company requested assessment through an accredited process involving Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority. Certified Strategic’s account did not record a federal determination on whether approval is required.

Water estimates in the referral distinguish construction demand from operating requirements. During the first 10 years, construction use is estimated at approximately 1,500 megalitres a year. Once operational, the wider development would use an estimated 250 megalitres of groundwater annually, of which approximately 50 megalitres would serve the data centre. The proposed groundwater source is the Broome Sandstone aquifer, conditional on obtaining a groundwater licence.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.

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