A scoping report lodged with the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure outlines plans for four single-storey buildings, each roughly the size of a supermarket distribution centre. The site sits about one kilometre from Transgrid's Wagga Wagga substation, a critical factor given the immense electricity requirements.
CDC chief executive Greg Boorer said the location was ideal. "It's sandwiched between renewable energy zones, it's got significant spare capacity in the grid, there's a university, a skilled workforce and it's proximate to Canberra where we're headquartered," he said. CDC plans to fund its own grid connection and network augmentation.
Cooling would rely on mechanical infrastructure such as chiller decks and pump rooms designed to minimise water consumption, along with a closed-loop radiator system. The scoping report also cites plans for 384 back-up diesel generators, on-site diesel storage totalling 6,400 tonnes, and two large-scale batteries.
Nine rural dwellings are near the proposed site, with three within a 500-metre radius. "The location is excellent because you're a long way from homes and people. It's next to a rubbish tip where people don't want to necessarily live anyway," Mr Boorer said. Notably, a fire at the adjacent landfill facility in January 2026 burned through 55 hectares of surrounding land.
CDC has been in discussions with Wagga Wagga City Council for about nine months, and the proposed purchase of the site is progressing. In a statement, the council called the proposal "a potentially generational economic, investment and workforce opportunity" for the region, while acknowledging the community would have questions and concerns about data centres generally and the location's potential impacts.