Australian AI infrastructure company Firmus Technologies has secured planning approval for its proposed 288MW AI factory at Bell Bay in northern Tasmania, clearing a key milestone for the project as it moves towards detailed design and construction planning.
George Town Council approved the development by six votes to one at its meeting on 25 August, allowing Firmus to progress its proposed facility at the former Gunns pulp mill site at Long Reach, within the Bell Bay Advanced Manufacturing Zone.
“Firmus welcomes the George Town Council’s decision to approve the Development Application for its proposed AI Factory within the Bell Bay industrial precinct,” a company spokesperson told W.Media. “The approval is an important milestone for the project and follows the council’s assessment of the application, supporting technical studies and submissions received during the public advertising period.”
Firmus said the approval would allow it to move into detailed design, procurement and construction planning ahead of works. The company said it expects the project to create more than 380 jobs during construction and support more than 115 permanent local roles once operational. The spokesperson said Firmus’s community engagement program had included a webinar, information sessions, an online survey and meetings with local stakeholders, with feedback used to inform the project. “Feedback received through this program has helped us better understand local priorities and helped inform the project.”
Conditions on the approval
The approval comes with a number of conditions governing the facility’s operation and environmental management, according to ABC reporting of the council’s decision. One of the more specific conditions relates to the site’s 276 backup diesel generators. The generators can only be operated during an unscheduled failure or interruption of the mains electricity supply, for inspection, testing or maintenance, or in response to a genuine emergency.
The council has also imposed a 24-hour cumulative annual limit on the simultaneous operation of more than one generator. Firmus will also need to update its bushfire and emergency management plan before construction begins, after the company incorrectly identified 128 rather than 276 generators in its application.
Other conditions include an updated noise emissions assessment, a noise verification survey within 60 days of commencing operations and a public complaints register, with records to be made available to the council’s environmental health officer on request. Firmus must also submit an air-quality assessment within 12 months of commencing the relevant operations.
The council’s planning officers had recommended approval, noting that some of the broader issues raised during the assessment were outside the scope of the Tasmanian Planning Scheme. The officers said matters including energy policy, AI, national security and Commonwealth regulation were dealt with through separate statutory frameworks or fell outside the council’s role as planning authority.
George Town Mayor Greg Kieser similarly said the council’s role was to determine whether the development complied with the planning scheme, rather than make broader policy decisions about AI infrastructure or Tasmania’s energy system.
The Bell Bay approval comes as Firmus progresses a broader Tasmanian buildout. It is constructing a 104MW AI factory at St Leonards near Launceston and has submitted a development application for a further 52MW facility at Wesley Vale in the state’s north-west. The approval also brings Firmus closer to becoming Tasmania’s largest electricity user, with its three proposed facilities expected to require around 400MW when fully developed.
Firmus said the Bell Bay project would now move into detailed design, procurement and construction planning, with further updates to be provided as additional milestones are reached.