10 August 2026 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunbury residents fighting a proposed waste-to-energy facility have another reason to demand answers, with HiQ revealing plans for a massive data centre and battery storage system at the same precinct.
A publicly available HiQ investment prospectus outlines a $15 billion investment pipeline at its Sunbury site, including a hyperscale data centre of up to one gigawatt, a one-gigawatt battery energy storage system and a waste-to-energy facility capable of processing 750,000 tonnes of waste a year.
The proposal also includes an industrial park and more than 50 hectares of residential development.
Legalise Cannabis Victoria MP for Western Metropolitan Region David Ettershank said the scale of the proposal should concern a community already fighting for answers about the waste-to-energy plant.
“People in Sunbury have spent months asking legitimate questions about a massive waste-to-energy facility on their doorstep,” Mr Ettershank said.
“Now we find out HiQ is also proposing a hyperscale data centre of up to one gigawatt and an enormous battery storage system on the same site.
“That’s not a minor addition. A data centre of this size could have huge demands for power, water and supporting infrastructure.
“Residents deserve to know how far these plans have progressed and what discussions have already taken place with the Victorian Government.”
The HiQ prospectus says the waste-to-energy facility would provide baseload power to the precinct and could connect to the proposed battery system and data centre. The battery system would also connect to nearby transmission lines and provide back-up power to the precinct.
Mr Ettershank said the government should disclose whether it has discussed the data centre proposal with HiQ and whether any planning or investment facilitation has begun.
“HiQ used to say they will be ‘powering Sunbury’ but now they don’t even bother with that line. They are just powering their profits.
“Sunbury residents shouldn’t have to go digging through investment prospectuses to find out what could be coming to their neighbourhood.
“If the government knows about these plans, it should tell the community what it knows.
“People deserve the full story before decisions are made, not afterwards.”
