Residents rally against Quantum DC’s proposed AI data centre in Adelaide Hills
A community protest in Mannum highlighted local opposition to a 1,200MW AI data centre planned for Tungkillo.
Quantum DC has unveiled plans for a 1,200MW hyperscale AI data centre to be built on a 120‑hectare site along Collins Road in Tungkillo, roughly 41 km east of Adelaide’s CBD.
The first phase of the project is projected to commence in 2028, with the company also proposing associated energy infrastructure on the same parcel of land.
Local opposition surfaced strongly this week. Residents from the Adelaide Hills organised a protest in the nearby town of Mannum after the company delayed two community‑consultation sessions originally scheduled for this week, pushing them to late November citing safety concerns.
At the Mannum rally, supporters from the Liberal Party, Greens and One Nation joined residents who said they would use “all legal means” to stop the development.
Local organiser Magdalene Lippett said she had emailed Quantum DC officials, but the company declined to attend the Saturday event.
Lippett outlined community worries about land use, water supplies, and potential noise and light pollution, adding that the opposition is not against development per se, noting the nearby Tungkillo Battery Energy Storage System being built at an existing substation.
She warned that “there just has to be a point where we slow down a little bit and start to question what trade‑offs we’re giving up” regarding primary production, agriculture and local lifestyles.
Quantum DC has not yet lodged a formal development application with state planning authorities.
Chief executive Alby Tomassi stated that roughly 80 percent of the centre’s electricity needs would be met by two on‑site substations connecting to existing ElectraNet power lines, supplemented by solar and wind contracts.
The company has said it will not submit a development application to the state government until it completes community consultation in November.
As the debate continues, the Adelaide Hills community remains vigilant, awaiting the postponed consultation and preparing for further action.
