Farm raising beef for tables around the world faces threat from data center construction

A fierce battle over artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, which are increasingly being seen as unwanted facilities, is erupting around the world among governments, companies and local residents.

Korea, which is also moving quickly to expand AI data centers as one of the government's three megaprojects, is no exception. Where can we find clues to resolving these conflicts?

To find answers, a Hankook Ilbo reporting team traveled to Australia Aug. 7-14 for a field investigation into how the country is preparing for the future with AI data centers. Australia is seeking to make AI data centers its next major growth industry after minerals and wool. Residents are banding together to make their voices heard and searching for rules that will allow people and AI data centers to coexist.

In August, winter fog in the Southern Hemisphere swallowed the morning sunlight, leaving a farm in darkness as cattle awoke to the familiar voices of an elderly couple.

"Did you have any trouble during the night?"

"Did you sleep well?"

Every morning at 7 a.m., Paul Brackenreg, 61, and Rosalind "Rose" Murphy, 70, climb into a dirt-covered buggy, a small four-wheel-drive vehicle, in the yard of their two-story wooden house. They drive between pastures and cattle sheds at their farm in Burradoo, in Australia's southeastern state of New South Wales. Paul checks on pregnant cows and hurriedly fills their feed troughs, while his wife bottle-feeds calves.

Paul and Rose own Carribee Farm, located at an elevation of 690 meters in Burradoo in the Southern Highlands, about 135 kilometers southwest of Sydney. Together with their 29-year-old son James, they raise about 400 beef cattle on 340 hectares of grassland. Beef from the region is certified as premium quality and exported to Asia, Europe and elsewhere. Korea is one of the three largest export markets for New South Wales beef, after China and the United States.

The couple's quiet, uneventful life was shattered one day in May, when Rose received a phone call from a friend.

"Rose, you're coming to the meeting right behind the farm, aren't you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"They're building an eight-story data center and a gas power plant right in front of your farm boundary. They're saying pollutants will drift onto your farm."

Rose felt as if she had been hit over the head. Only then did she discover what the dark-gray, single-story building she had seen for years through the pine trees outside the farm fence actually was: a 28-megawatt data center.

A subsidiary of a Sydney-based property company had been developing a data center campus in the Southern Highlands for five years. One building was already operating right next to the couple's farm, while construction of two more buildings, with a combined capacity of 300 megawatts, was expected to begin soon.

Paul and Rose were bewildered. No one had ever come to explain the situation to them. Each time the local council received development applications from companies seeking to develop land around their farm, it sent the couple bundles of documents. But even after reading them, they could hardly understand what they meant.

After hearing from their friend about the data center development, they went through the documents again. Amid unfamiliar real estate terminology, they noticed words such as "data" and "artificial intelligence." Rose looked stunned.

The immediate threat facing the couple is the gas power plant planned to supply electricity to the data center. The Australian government has adopted a Bring Your Own Power approach, requiring operators to secure the electricity needed for AI data centers themselves. If all three planned plants — with capacities of 14 megawatts, 16 megawatts and 673 megawatts — are built, the project would become Australia's third-largest gas power plant.

Emissions from the plant's smokestacks could be disastrous for the farmers. Jacqui Duc, a pediatrician in the Southern Highlands, said nitrogen oxides contained in gas-fired power plant emissions can harm the respiratory system.

Rose is less worried about her own health than about the water and air her cattle will consume.

"We collect rainwater and use it as drinking water instead of relying on the municipal water supply. That means there's a possibility the cattle could drink water containing nitrogen oxides. Fine particles carried by the wind could also enter their respiratory systems. If harmful substances are detected in the tissues of slaughtered cattle, that meat won't be allowed to be sold and will have to be discarded."

Although it remains only a possibility, Paul also worries that the emissions could reduce the fertility of cows or cause calves to be born with abnormalities. Duc said exposure to nitrogen oxides also increases the risk of cancer in humans.

Why did it have to be right behind their farm? Paul has his own theory. "This place has a lot of elderly people. We call it the 'waiting room of God.' There are also many nursing homes. Maybe they think we'll all be gone before long. And as you can see, we really don't even know what AI is."

The proportion of elderly residents in the area is 17 percent, higher than the state average of 12 percent.

The developer pressed the local council to speed up the approval process for a second gas power plant. The meeting Rose's friend had mentioned was a mediation session in which residents and companies would face each other before the Land and Environment Court.

On the morning of May 22, Paul and Rose headed to 30 Douglas Road immediately after feeding their cattle. Residents had gathered in front of the data center site ahead of the mediation session.

It was the first official rally of the STOP THE GAS PLANT campaign launched by Heather Champion, a Greens member of the Wingecarribee Shire Council.

It was a cold, rainy Friday morning for May. Organizers had expected 50 to 100 people, but about 220 showed up. One mother even brought her newborn baby.

Residents spoke about the long-term health damage they feared would result from pollutants accumulating in the air and shouted, "Data centers must never be built this way."

The data center project threatens not only the community but also the future of the town itself. Residents worry that the area could lose its vitality if young people who move there from central Sydney in search of clean air stop coming.

Fabia Andronos, 34, who is raising a 1-year-old daughter, already regrets moving there.

Fabia's family of three moved to the area last fall, when her daughter, Willow, who was born in June last year, was 3 months old. They had lived in Melbourne's inner suburbs and dreamed of a quiet, relaxed life in a place with clean breezes year-round and no tram noise.

But just four months later, the dream turned into a nightmare.

Fabia heard from mothers with children the same age as her daughter that a data center would be built about 15 minutes, or 6 kilometers, by car from her home.

"If we'd known everything in advance, we wouldn't have considered moving here in the first place. If they build it, I think we'll leave."

Fabia also attended the May 22 campaign rally with her daughter, standing in the rain and holding a protest sign alongside Rose and other residents.

United community, with politicians joining fight

Residents like Paul and Rose, who learned about the planned data center and gas power plant only after the projects were already underway, decided to take collective action. They wanted to protect their living environment against the speed at which companies and governments were pushing the projects forward.

The community began a resident-led public debate. Heather and Jacqui, both mothers of young children, played leading roles in organizing a campaign against development plans that had been drawn up without adequately gathering residents' opinions.

Heather was convinced that data center construction being pushed ahead rapidly without social consent would eventually come back to haunt everyone.

"The data center boom is moving everything very quickly, with support from the state and federal governments. And it's happening before standards have even been established. If they push ahead without sufficiently consulting the community or properly listening to residents, they're going to face fierce resistance and opposition. Ultimately, it will create major problems for both industry and government."

Residents made their demands clear.

First, AI data centers should be powered entirely by renewable energy rather than gas-fired power plants.

Second, all approval procedures should be temporarily suspended, or placed under a moratorium, and the government and local communities should consult with each other first.

Residents also held a public hearing in August to share information about data centers. Silver-haired elderly people carrying canes and using walkers made their way into the auditorium. From newborn babies and preschoolers to elementary and high school students, middle-aged adults and seniors, about 500 people filled the venue.

The area has a large conservative elderly population that is not particularly active on environmental issues. But this time was different. The sheer number of people packed into the auditorium sent a powerful message to politicians.

The residents' voices reached beyond the community. David Shoebridge, a Greens senator in the federal Parliament, also attended the hearing. He lent his support to the campaign, saying people needed to consider "who the winners are."

"Given that this development is being pursued in Australia, one of the driest inhabited places on Earth, data centers should not be built until clear guidelines are established," he said.

Their message is clear: They are not necessarily opposed to data centers, they simply want to slow down.

Claire Hall, who has children ages 2, 5 and 7, frequently uses AI.

"We're certainly not opposed to AI data centers themselves. We use AI even while we're running this campaign. It really helps busy mothers."

Kirstine McKay, who lives with her three children about 5 kilometers from the proposed site, also voiced her concern.

"Let me compare this situation to plastic. When plastic was first introduced to the world, everyone said, 'Oh my goodness, this is such a wonderful technology. Let's make everything out of plastic.' But now we know it's getting into our entire bodies. It's in fish and throughout our planet. And now we're trying to rein it back in. It's very, very difficult."

This is not just a story about the Southern Highlands.

In Melbourne, residents were joined by state lawmaker Katie Hall of the Labor Party in opposing plans for a massive AI data center covering 10 hectares with a capacity of up to 225 megawatts. Since Labor governs both the federal government and the Australian state of Victoria, opposition has emerged from within the ruling party itself.

On the southern island state of Tasmania, more than 10,000 people signed a petition calling for a halt to new data center construction.

Heather's warning is becoming a reality across Australia.

The Australian government has also found it difficult to ignore the backlash. Australia was at the center of the data center investment boom in 2024, attracting the world's second-largest amount of AI data center investment after the United States. In December last year, the government declared its ambition to become "the largest data center market in the Asia-Pacific region," seeking to seize the opportunity.

But the United States, which experienced the boom first, has faced opposition from residents over electricity and water use and rising power bills. Australia faces the same risk. As data centers are expected to consume about 6 percent of the country's electricity supply by 2030, concerns are growing that the costs could be passed on to households through higher electricity bills.

The Australian government moved quickly to avoid following the U.S. path.

In March, the federal government released guidelines calling for "sustainable and efficient use of water and energy." But after being criticized for lacking legal force, the government announced additional measures, including a principle requiring data center operators to "self-supply" their electricity and plans to control where data centers can be located.

With residents and politicians joining forces to pressure the government, New South Wales released its Data Center Guidelines on Sept. 17, just eight days after the Moss Vale public hearing.

The guidelines included both incentives and restrictions: New data centers must operate on 100 percent renewable energy, with wind power accounting for 40 percent of that supply. Developers must bear all costs related to electricity grids and water supplies, while the world's highest standards will apply to noise and air pollution. If these principles are followed, proposals will be reviewed within 75 days.

Six days later, the federal government went a step further, announcing that it would ban data centers from being built near schools, homes and farms.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's message was clear: For the data center construction boom to continue in Australia, community support is important. That means preventing increases in energy bills, maintaining water security and selecting appropriate locations.

The Australian government plans to introduce legislation incorporating these principles in a national AI bill early next year.

Heather suggested that the Korean society needs to build solidarity around the issue.

"Ultimately, these projects cannot end well without social consent. What's important is that instead of everyone looking out only for themselves, residents and politicians come together and speak with one voice."

How we reported this story

Australia is at the center of the data center investment boom, attracting the world's second-largest amount of data center investment after the United States in 2024. At the same time, residents have succeeded in pushing the government to introduce regulations on data center locations and power supplies.

New South Wales has the largest number of data centers among Australia's eight states and territories, with a total of 104 either operating or planned.

From Aug. 7-14, a Hankook Ilbo reporting team visited Sydney, Burradoo and Moss Vale in New South Wales, reporting from two data center sites and a public hearing. The team conducted in-depth interviews with 15 people, including residents, environmental activists and local council members.

Four experts in environmental issues, urban design and AI strategy were interviewed in person or by video call about strategies for sustainable growth.

The team also reviewed official documents, including data center guidelines released by the Australian federal and New South Wales governments, as well as development applications submitted by data center developers to local councils.

The team, which did not personally witness the May 22 rally in the Southern Highlands, reported on the event based on accounts from multiple residents who attended and photographs provided by the campaign organizers.

This article by Kang Ji-su of the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, was translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.