Data centres in Western Australia: why consider Collie?
Among potential sites for data centres in Western Australia, Collie merits investigation as an AI data centre location because it combines an established electricity and industrial setting with land, regional fibre infrastructure and an active economic transition. DEIH adds an approximately 57-hectare owned landholding and completed development work. Suitability for a particular AI campus still depends on deliverable power, connectivity, planning, cooling and commercial requirements.
Which location factors matter for data centres in Western Australia?
Location should be assessed against the proposed business, rather than a generic list of attractive features. An AI training campus, an inference service and a mixed cloud facility may have different customer, latency, resilience and growth requirements.
The starting questions are practical. What load is needed at the facility meter? When must the first stage operate? What customer locations must the campus connect to? How much land is required for buildings, electrical equipment and expansion? Which approvals and environmental constraints affect the delivery sequence?
A location becomes commercially useful when these requirements can be connected into a credible design and programme. Regional infrastructure is a reason to investigate; it becomes a project advantage when the site-specific solution is established.
Why does Collie’s energy setting matter?
Collie’s history as an electricity and industrial centre provides context for evaluating large energy users. Western Power’s Clean Energy Link–East material describes new transmission infrastructure connecting through the Muja and Shotts environment, including two double-circuit 330 kV lines. Western Power Clean Energy Link East
For a data centre developer, this regional setting supports a larger connection enquiry than simply asking whether an existing local service suits the first building. The enquiry should assess the achievable end state, intermediate stages and infrastructure needed between them.
No regional transmission project reserves electricity for DEIH. A future campus needs its own assessment of connection options, network works, timing, resilience and cost. Our power pathway guide explains the information needed to scope that assessment.
What does DEIH bring to the location assessment?
DEIH owns approximately 57 hectares at 323 Patstone Road, including approximately 23 hectares zoned Light Industrial. Existing solar approval and solar/BESS feasibility provide development history that a partner can examine alongside the wider location case.
The landholding allows an initial master-planning exercise to consider data halls, substations, batteries, cooling, access and future expansion together. It does not mean every hectare can accommodate every use. Physical constraints, service corridors and approval requirements must determine the actual layout.
The Telstra Aura opportunity adds a separate connectivity workstream. Carrier confirmation is needed for the site’s point of connection, services, capacity, physical diversity and delivery arrangements. Electricity and fibre should be investigated in parallel because both affect which customers the campus can serve.
How should Collie be compared with other locations?
| Power delivery | Site-specific connection scope, dependencies and cost assumptions |
| Expansion | A layout protecting future land and utility requirements |
| Connectivity | Carrier evidence, routes, services and delivery commitments |
| Planning | A proposal-specific approval pathway and constraints review |
| Customer fit | Workload, latency, resilience and operating-model requirements |
This comparison avoids treating land price, regional network scale or a single headline metric as the whole decision. A site with a strong regional story can still fail a customer’s delivery window. A less obvious location can be relevant when its infrastructure and operating model fit the workload.
At DEIH, our proposed next step is to test those relationships against a qualified partner’s requirements. That assessment should identify reasons to proceed, evidence still needed and conditions that could make another location more suitable.
Frequently asked questions
Is Collie suitable for every type of data centre?
Suitability depends on the service being delivered. Customer proximity, network latency, power resilience, workforce access and delivery timing can affect different workloads differently. Those requirements should be defined before making a location decision.
Does a 330 kV transmission environment guarantee capacity?
No. Voltage describes an aspect of the network architecture. Deliverable megawatts depend on the connection point, network capability, required works, operating conditions and the outcome of project-specific assessments.
What is the first step in evaluating DEIH?
Provide a short requirements brief covering intended workload, initial and ultimate facility load, land needs, target timing and connectivity. That creates a basis for comparing DEIH with the other locations on your shortlist.
Discuss your location criteria
Review the DEIH partnership opportunity and share your criteria. For a closer examination of campus footprint, read our land control guide.
For more detail on land, power, fibre, approvals and partnership structures, see the Collie Energy & Industrial Hub FAQ.
Sources and project information: Western Power Clean Energy Link East; DEIH project website; DEIH strategic partnership opportunity