Firmus Technologies has lodged plans for a second artificial intelligence factory in northern Tasmania, on the former Gunns pulp mill land at Bell Bay.
The Singapore-based company’s application is now before George Town Council.
It is one of three AI factories Firmus is pursuing in the state, in addition to the $2 billion centre it is already building at St Leonards near Launceston, which is due to start operating in early 2027.
A third site has been flagged for Wesley Vale in the north-west, where Energy Minister Nick Duigan told budget estimates this month the company also wanted to build.
Together, the sites form part of a broader push the company calls Project Southgate, which also includes planned data centres in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Perth.
The second Tasmanian factory, near George Town, would add about 300 megawatts of capacity.
Together with the Launceston site, that would use close to 15% of all the power Tasmania’s grid can supply, unless new wind, solar or hydro generation is built to cover it.
For the Launceston factory, Firmus secured a three-year deal with government-owned retailer Aurora Energy in March for up to 104 megawatts of power.
The government said this was struck at market rates and was not subsidised.
Planning documents describe the Bell Bay facility, referred to as GEE01, as two data hall buildings, along with an office and workshop, with power to be fed from two 220kV transmission lines linking Sheffield and George Town.
In a statement, Firmus said its choice of location was “guided by access to power, transmission connectivity, planning pathways and alignment with government policy”.
The plans also list standby diesel generators and lithium iron phosphate batteries for backup, along with cooling water use of up to 22,000 kilolitres in a peak year, most of which would be lost to evaporation.
The state’s deals with AI companies are also expected to feature in a new Senate inquiry examining data centres’ energy and water use.
Firmus said it was “working with both private sector power generators and state governments to encourage the construction of new generation capacity”.
According to the application, the Bell Bay centre would operate around the clock, employing about 70 staff during the day and 25 on each of the evening and night shifts.
Public feedback on the Bell Bay proposal closes on June 29, before it goes to the council’s planning authority for a decision.
