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6:00 am, March 12th, 2026 - 17 comments
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Open mike is your post.
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Step up to the mike …
A new "AI Factory" (whatever that is) has been granted consent to be built in Invercargill. See the ODT-it is not paywalled but I'm having trouble sharing it.
The factory will "consume 280MW of power making it making it New Zealand's second largest electricity user after the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter".
The article describes the factory as a "sustainable centre". The massive power usage required makes the factory entirely unsustainable.
No mention of the government and the impact of the new power demand impact on pricing, or distribution via Transpower.
Is it one of the proposed new uses for power (currently provided to the smelter)(with lines to this location) etc?
https://www.odt.co.nz/southland/nzs-first-ai-factory-given-green-light-invercargill
Datagrid majority ownership is overseas:
"Overseas investment decision for case 202500359 – DG Founders General Partner Pte. Ltd and Datagrid New Zealand Limited Partnership"
So presumably most profits will head overseas?
The OD article claims there’s available renewable energy resources locally – doesn’t say how much.
Datagrid’s website says it’ll use “clean energy”
https://www.datagrid.nz/home#datagrid-story
Hydro?
Greenwashing using our historic dams?
Yes
"The ODT article claims there’s available renewable energy resources locally"
That is false logic and greenwashing of the first order.
There is no such thing as "spare" renewable energy. This energy has required significant capital investment to produce it, and could be used to power homes or useful businesses either now or in the future, not for largely useless, unproductive and ridiculously power-hungry AI factories.
I don't see where it claims it will use 'spare' renewable energy as you stated? It says "available renewable energy resources locally"
To me that says renewable energy resources that are not currently being utilized? In other words they would build new infrastructure, etc specifically for the data center?
It’s not (publicly) known yet where Datagrid will get its energy from. They’ve asked Transpower to build a dedicated sub-station for them.
Perhaps our local reporter for The Standard in Invercargill has some useful insights.
The project doesn’t seem to be a fly-by-nighter and details can be found here: https://environment.govt.nz/acts-and-regulations/acts/fast-track-approvals/fast-track-projects/datagrid-sustainable-data-centre-park/
I expect the page will be updated soon.
It has been a lot of chatter recently about solar energy (with or without batteries) and EVs.
There is also reluctance expressed largely because of the unknowns. This is not surprising and is of a conservative mindset.
Take it from someone who has lived off grid for 25 years and has made the switch to electric transport. ( Motorbike and car). You don't look back.
what are the unknowns for EVs?
@ weka @ 2.1
Unknowns are classically range and suit my lifestyle.
We have a VW ID3. We go to Wellys for a few gigs.
From the heart of the Manawatu, stop at Tawa for 20 minutes ( kai or stretch the legs) then we are into Wellys and back home with about 15-20% left. The lack of charging infrastructure is a pain ATM. As Incognito pointed out yesty.
As for lifestyle – towing a trailer or boat and will I get teased buying this?
Don't underestimate how our identity is tied up in what we drive. I've found that out since getting an electric motorbike. Lots laugh till they ride it. 0-100 kph in 3 1/2 seconds.
Jeez, imagine if they paid a fair price for the impact they gave on the roads…
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/589411/fuel-costs-could-drive-new-zealand-trucking-businesses-to-the-ground
https://open.substack.com/pub/deanblundell/p/breaking-mark-carney-and-canada-now?
Haven’t seen any of this in our press.
”THE NUMBERS THAT MAKE TRUMP IRRELEVANT
The combined EU-CPTPP bloc would represent about 40% of global GDP and 1.5 billion people. The U.S. economy is about 25% of global GDP. China is about 18-20%.
Read that again. This alliance is bigger than the American economy. It’s bigger than China. It is, by raw economic mass, the largest trading bloc ever assembled. Trump’s tariff threat — “buy from us or else” — loses its teeth when these 40 nations can buy from each other instead, at zero tariffs, with harmonized supply chains that don’t need American ports, American consumers, or American approval.
According to the World Bank, the two blocs together account for almost a third of all world trade. That’s trade that can now flow between them — without touching the United States.”
A NZ, Australia, Canada and UK trade bloc would only have 4 countries, all with closely matching and stable political systems, all with shared values and similar cultures, etc,etc. So much much easier to agree upon and maintain than trying to keep over 40 countries happy. A GDP of around 7 trillion USD so not as big but still a major global economic power, without the EU involved for starters. If you brought a country like Japan on board you're talking 17 or more trillion which is huge. Or maybe the commonwealth + former commonwealth nations??
Of course a huge factor is the massive wealthy market that is 370 odd million rich (on a global scale) USA consumers.
Interesting when the shit hits the fan in the form of the Trump phenomenon causing such chaos, our own RWNJs try to wriggle out of ownership of that chaos. Trump is their man because he owned the Libs, or some such crazy.
Time to fess up those that thought this was a good idea.
https://www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360965032/cook-strait-ferry-project-167m-over-budget-and-key-port-deals-still-unsigned?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPNDA5OTYyNjIzMDg1NjA5AAEeheP7C_-aSBm7fSWWweMrQAYGLafoYqxgdC3xr2_QCzRO53AgNYJqiCku9IA_aem_oDPMT4uNEwEvFAgwraYjHQ
This is a mess labour will have to clean up next year, willis the woeful, is incompetent