Urban Digest

Microsoft has secured approval for a $1.26 billion data centre at 6 Honeman Close, Huntingwood, clearing the way for a major 96 MW facility in Sydney’s Western Sydney Employment Area.

The State Significant Development will be built on a 5.03-hectare industrial site in the Blacktown LGA and comprise a 43.25-metre-high data centre building with 39,267 sqm of gross floor area, ancillary offices, a new electrical substation, rooftop cooling infrastructure, parking and landscaping.

The facility will contain 40 data halls and operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It will have a total power consumption of 140 MVA and an IT load of 96 MW, substantially exceeding the 15 MW threshold that triggers assessment as State Significant Development.

Backup infrastructure includes 46 diesel generators, lithium-ion battery systems and capacity to store up to 1.53 million litres of diesel. The scheme also includes 36 cooling towers and 200 rooftop air-conditioning units.

The data centre is expected to consume approximately 3.9 megalitres of water per day. Microsoft has committed to a power usage effectiveness target of 1.28 and a water usage effectiveness target of 1.55 litres per kilowatt-hour.

The development provides 94 car spaces for a maximum of 79 staff, contractors and visitors expected on site at any one time. The Department accepted the parking provision despite Blacktown Council initially seeking a substantially larger number of spaces, finding the proposed supply sufficient for the specialised data centre use.

Biodiversity was one of the major issues considered during assessment. The project will remove approximately 0.33 hectares from an existing 1.11-hectare conservation area containing native vegetation, leaving around 0.78 hectares to be retained and managed as a revised conservation area.

The application attracted just one public submission, which objected over greenhouse gas emissions and associated air-quality and health concerns. Blacktown City Council also initially objected, primarily over biodiversity impacts associated with the reduction of the conservation area, but subsequently withdrew its objection following revisions and further assessment.

The Department identified noise, air quality, biodiversity and urban design as the key assessment issues. Conditions include ongoing noise and air-quality monitoring, biodiversity offsets, management of the retained conservation area and monitoring of energy and water consumption.

The development is expected to support around 250 construction jobs during its approximately two-year build and 74 ongoing operational positions. Its capital investment value is $1.263 billion.

The application was approved on 1 October 2026. The Environmental Impact Statement and subsequent response documents were prepared by Patch Planners.

For more information, search application SSD-58601963 on the NSW Planning Portal.