Green Party pushes for pause on consenting AI data centres
The Green Party wants a one-year moratorium on new artificial intelligence data centres being consented.
The Greens said the moratorium would give regulation time to catch up to ensure new artificial intelligence (AI) data centres benefited the country and that the party would enact the policy if elected.
Green co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said currently, “AI data centres can be consented behind closed doors, with no community input”.
“Experience overseas has seen these projects turn local water supply to sludge and suck huge amounts of energy, driving up prices for regular people,” Swarbrick said.
“If we are going to let these things be built, we should at least understand who is benefiting and ensure we protect our natural resources and communities. That’s why the Greens are calling for a one-year pause, to allow intentional regulation to be developed.
“Some may argue these AI data centres could build their own renewable energy, or that they’re increasingly using closed-loop water cooling systems. That may well be the case, but our current rules don’t require any of those things. New Zealanders haven’t even had the opportunity to discuss and decide whether they want them.”
“The already-consented [if yet to be fully-funded or Transpower-approved] Datagrid hyperscale AI data centre in Southland is expected to use about 6% of our country’s total electricity supply, equivalent to the power used by more than 300,000 households,” Swarbrick said.
National Party leader Christopher Luxon, speaking during his own policy announcement, described the Greens’ promise as “alarmist”.
“The reality is I think we have three data centres coming on stream at the moment, beyond that, Nicola [Willis, National deputy leader] and I are thinking very deeply about an AI strategy,” Luxon said.
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“A part of that would be data centres. As I’ve said publicly before, data centres would need to bring additionality to our energy system and electricity system and we also need to have a conversation about use of water.”