Chris Bowen vows to override Queensland and NT to force renewables-powered AI datacentres | TheBriefWire
Chris Bowen vows to override Queensland and NT to force renewables-powered AI datacentres
Published 5 August 2026 ยท politics
Energy minister says Australian households and energy reliability will be protected by new federal legislation Energy minister Chris Bowen says the federal government will override
Energy minister says Australian households and energy reliability will be protected by new federal legislation 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 โ who had protested 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...
Published: August 5, 2026 โข 1:39 PM IST ยท Updated: August 5, 2026 โข 2:10 PM ISTBy TheBriefWire Editorial Team
Key points
Energy minister says Australian households and energy reliability will be protected by new federal legislation 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 โ who had protested 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.