Kelly Blomfield, the leader of advocacy group the Southland Sustainable Resource Coalition, said the meeting was a chance for members of the community to put their questions to a panel of guest speakers.
Ms Blomfield said the group had concerns over there being sufficient water and power resources to adequately supply the centre as well as residents.
There were also questions over the clean air resource consents granted to operate 84 diesel-powered generators that would be on site and the impact the centre would have on productive farmland.
It was important the meeting provided accurate information, Ms Blomfield said.
‘‘We are not there to slag off DataGrid. We’re all about balance and fairness.
‘‘We are not going to share anything that’s not 100% verified as a fact.
‘‘We’re about providing the actual numbers and providing the actual statistics.’’
Construction on the 49ha site is due to begin this year, with the centre becoming operational by 2028.
Singapore-based company Datagrid NZ was granted nine resource consents in March by Environment Southland related to the data centre.
The consents include discharges to air from up to 84 diesel generators if there were a power shortage; to draw up to 604,800 litres of groundwater per day; discharge of up 5000 litres of treated wastewater a day; and removal of a wetland.
The Southland District Council granted a land use consent to Data Grid in March.
The centre will become New Zealand’s second largest user of electricity, after the nearby Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, using 280MW of electricity.
Local authorities, including Invercargill Mayor Tom Campbell, have hailed the project as win for the region, citing the creation of an estimated 1200 temporary construction and 50 permanent positions.
Ms Blomfield told international newspaper The Guardian last week some local residents felt like the region had been sold out from underneath them.
‘‘I think that most people’s actual concern is that we don’t find out anything until its done.’’
An invitation had been extended to Data Grid’s founder Remi Galasso to attend the meeting, but she did not know if it had been received, Ms Blomfield said.
She hoped Southland District Mayor Rob Scott would accept an invitation to speak, although he had yet to confirm.
Speakers included engineer and businessman Nigel McCord and environmentalist Karen Maw.
She believed many residents still had unanswered questions about the benefits and potential impacts of the proposed development, Ms Blomfield said.
The meeting will be held next Wednesday at 7pm at the Invercargill Workingmen’s Club.
It will be live-streamed and recorded.
- By Toni McDonald
