A community consultation session planned by data centre developer Quantum DC has been cancelled after the company received what it described as a "credible" bomb threat, as opposition to its proposed 1200-megawatt facility in South Australia's Adelaide Hills continues to intensify.
Quantum DC had scheduled a drop-in session at the Tungkillo Soldiers Memorial Hall on Thursday to allow residents to ask questions about its multibillion-dollar proposal for farmland near the small community of Tungkillo, about 41 kilometres east of the Adelaide CBD. The event was called off after the threat was received, and the matter has since been referred to SA Police.
"We are extremely disappointed that we were forced to postpone this afternoon's community drop-in session after a credible bomb threat was received," Quantum DC chief executive Alby Tomassi said. "Public safety must always take priority, and we had no choice but to make this decision."
The company has since rescheduled its consultation sessions to November 20 and 21, with Tomassi emphasising that community engagement was being held before any formal development application had been lodged with state planning authorities.
What Quantum DC is proposing at Tungkillo
The proposed development would see a hyperscale AI data centre built across approximately 120 to 220 hectares of Collins Road farmland at Tungkillo, land that has traditionally been used for grazing and agriculture. The facility would operate at 1200 megawatts, making it one of the largest data centre projects of its kind anywhere in the world, larger than the current "Colossus" campus operated by Elon Musk's SpaceXSI, which covers less than 100 hectares.
Plans include data centre buildings, electricity substations and gas-fired generators to provide firming capacity. Tomassi said approximately 80 per cent of the project's electricity needs would be met through two on-site substations connecting to existing ElectraNet power lines, with supply drawn via solar and wind contracts. The first construction stage is expected to commence in 2028, if approved.
On water use, project documents indicate construction would require between 150 million and 250 million litres, with annual operational demand of around 20 million litres. Tomassi said the facility would capture and recirculate rainwater and would not draw from the River Murray or existing groundwater reserves. Significant portions of the property, he added, would remain available for grazing.
Quantum DC is seeking to have the project assessed through South Australia's Essential Infrastructure pathway, which includes a 15-day public consultation period. The company says environmental and heritage assessments are already underway. As of now, no formal application has been lodged. For context on the broader surge in data centre pipeline activity and Australia's power demand, the scale of projects like this one reflects a national trend.
Community anger and the calls for greater scrutiny
Locals say they only discovered the proposal after it was reported in a local newspaper, and many have responded with alarm. Residents have launched a petition and begun coordinating organised opposition to the project.
In the absence of the cancelled Thursday session, community members held their own informal meeting in Tungkillo before a larger public rally was convened in the nearby town of Mannum on Saturday. The rallies drew support from the Liberal Party, the Greens and One Nation, though government members did not attend the Mannum event.
Local organiser Magdalene Lippett said Quantum DC had declined an invitation to attend Saturday's community event, though she said she had been in contact with company representatives by email. She made clear the community's resistance would not fade.
"We're not going away," Lippett said, adding that residents were not opposed to development in principle, but wanted a genuine pause to weigh the trade-offs involved. "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," she said.
Farmer Matt Loder was direct in calling for the project to face the full weight of normal planning processes. "Not a fast-track, no special favours, no shortcuts," he said. "It's really, really important to think about the real local values of this community and of this landscape before we make a decision which could destroy it forever."
Resident Magdalene Teghe raised concerns about the impact on livestock and native wildlife, including pollinators. Farmer Maurice Collins spoke of the area's birdsong and natural character. "The birds, it's just amazing, the song of the birds. That's all going to disappear," he said.
One local farmer warned that some elements of the landscape could never be restored. "You can't cut down a 500-year-old tree and say we're going to put in some tube stock to replace it."
Planning pathway and what happens next
South Australia's Planning Minister Nick Champion confirmed that any formal application would need to pass through what he called a "rigorous planning system", including meeting power and water requirements. He said the government would determine which assessment pathway applied, whether that was the State Commission Assessment Panel or the minister directly.
"Whatever the pathway, the process is rigorous," Champion said.
Residents, however, argue a project of such unprecedented scale warrants a more thorough and extended assessment than the 15-day Essential Infrastructure process allows. Debate over how governments balance the costs and benefits of large data centre proposals is playing out at a national level as well.
Quantum DC says it will not submit a development application until after its rescheduled November community consultations have taken place. Whether those sessions proceed without further disruption remains to be seen.
