 plans a seven-building data center campus at Mickleham, about 35km north of central [Melbourne](https://baxtel.com/regions/melbourne). The compa...](https://cdn.baxtel.com/data-center/airtrunk-confirms-operator-role-for-seven-building-mickleham-campus/logo/large_airtrunk-confirms-operator-role-for-seven-building-mickleham-campus-featured.jpg){kind=logo}
AirTrunk plans a seven-building data center campus at Mickleham, about 35km north of central Melbourne. The company said in a 9 November statement that it is advancing the proposal at 45 Donnybrook Road and named its
Featured: Editorial photograph of AirTrunk's operating hyperscale data center campus in western Melbourne.elf as the operator behind the project, after the applicant went unnamed in the planning filings.
The campus would have 935,730 square metres of gross floor area across up to seven buildings. AirTrunk bought the 67.10ha site in the Hume City Council area from the McMullin family for $350 million and filed a permit application through Victoria's Development Facilitation Program, The Urban Developer reported.
AirTrunk says the campus will use air-based cooling and will not draw on community water during normal operations. The company will fund a new Donnybrook terminal station to connect the site to the Victorian transmission network, planned at 132 kV. AirTrunk says it will match the campus's electricity use with renewable energy.
The proposal is expected to support more than 1,000 ongoing local jobs. Subject to approvals, AirTrunk proposes a A$26.5 million community package, including A$6.5 million for a Victorian Skills Partnership, A$5 million for local sport and recreation infrastructure and A$15 million for education and training facilities. Households near the site could take an A$200 annual deduction on a standard electricity bill through Origin Energy under a proposed Community Energy Program.
"We want to engage with people who live and work in Mickleham and the surrounding area," said Rob Bartrop, associate vice president of social impact and community at AirTrunk. "We're committed to keeping the community informed, creating opportunities for people to participate in the training, employment and procurement opportunities, and to investing in much-needed community infrastructure in Melbourne's northern suburbs."
AirTrunk will hold community information sessions on 17 and 18 November and a webinar on 23 November. Public comment on the project's preliminary documentation under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act runs to 18 November on AirTrunk's Mickleham project page. AirTrunk also came forward this month as operator of a 540MW data center at the former Kurri Kurri aluminium smelter in New South Wales, Data Center Dynamics reported.
Victorian councils are pressing for tighter rules. Hume City Council welcomed a statewide moratorium call on 6 November, after the Municipal Association of Victoria, which represents all 79 Victorian councils, backed pausing approvals until a comprehensive planning and environmental framework is established. "The State Government should listen to the united voice of local government and pause approvals until a comprehensive planning and environmental framework is in place," said Hume City mayor Carly Moore.
Baxtel tracks 61 data centers in Melbourne, where AirTrunk's MEL1 Building 1 is the largest at 125 MW and 10 data centers are under construction.
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