AI's Insatiable Power Appetite Sparks a Renewable Boom — and a Bushfire Fight in Melbourne

A $500 million battery project championed by former PM Malcolm Turnbull is set to clash with community fears in Melbourne's fire-prone green wedges, highlighting how the explosive growth of AI data centres is reshaping Australia's energy landscape.

Turnbull Renewables plans to build a 14-hectare lithium-ion battery system in Doreen, promising it could store enough power for 90,000 homes. But the proposed site sits on bushfire-prone land, sparking immediate...