Australia’s backdown on data centres allows them to use energy from coal and gas. Here’s what that means

Jason marz/Getty It’s official: Australia’s data centre boom will not be solely powered by renewables. At the National Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the federal government softened its stance on using coal and gas to power energy-hungry data centres. Initially, the government said it would required new data centres to rely on renewables, backed up by batteries and gas. However, this has changed. Its new standards, set to be legislated in early 2027, leave room for some jurisdictions to use…