Chris Bowen vows to override Queensland and NT to force renewables-powered AI datacentres

Energy minister says Australian households and energy reliability will be protected by new federal legislationFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe energy minister, Chris Bowen, says the federal government will override state governments that oppose new national rules on datacentres, with commonwealth legislation forcing new AI datacentres to be powered by renewable energy and banning those fuelled by gas.Bowen said he expected his counterparts in Queensland and the Northern Territory – who had protested against the new federal rules at a meeting last week – to be unhappy with the move, but said the Albanese government was committed to powering the AI revolution with renewable energy. Continue reading...