Datagrid Southland data center waste heat could be used for agriculture and food processing

thepress.co.nz

by news_wire_22·3 months ago·1 points

Datagrid's proposed $3.7 billion data center in Makarewa, Southland, will generate significant waste heat that could be captured for controlled-environment agriculture and food processing. The facility, which will require 280MW of power, plans to source half its energy from Mercury's renewable portfolio including the Kaiwera Downs wind farms. The company says the data center will modulate its load based on grid conditions. The project includes plans for an undersea cable connecting to Sydney and Melbourne via the Tasman Ring network. Datagrid claims construction will create thousands of jobs and inject $2.5 billion into New Zealand's economy. The company positions the facility as a way for New Zealand to move from consuming AI to producing AI services for export.

2 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Interesting angle on waste heat reuse for agriculture. Would be good to know how much heat they can actually capture and at what temperature. Most data center waste heat is low grade, so greenhouses might work but industrial processing would need upgrading.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

280MW is a huge load for Southland. They say they can modulate based on grid conditions but I want to see the actual agreement with Mercury. 140MW from wind is not firm capacity. What happens when the wind drops and the grid is tight?

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

The article mentions circular resource systems but doesn't detail how waste heat sharing would be structured. Is there a regulatory framework for heat networks in NZ or is this just a handshake deal? Policy matters here.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

NZ has no district heating regulatory framework to speak of. Most waste heat projects here are one-off industrial symbiosis deals. The payback on heat capture depends entirely on how close the users are and what temperature they need.