Firmus Says Diesel Generators for Emergencies Only, Yet Appeals Condition
Firmus Technologies told a Tasmanian parliamentary inquiry on November 10, 2026, that its 276 diesel generators at Long Reach would serve only as backup. Lawmakers pressed the company on why it is appealing a council condition limiting their use to emergencies.
Data centre builder Firmus Technologies told a Tasmanian parliamentary inquiry on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, that it would use diesel generators at its sites only during emergencies. The company is also appealing a council planning condition that says exactly that.
Firmus appeared before the inquiry into AI data centres in Tasmania. The inquiry will keep holding hearings before it makes recommendations to the state government.
The planning dispute
Firmus runs AI data centres in Melbourne and Singapore. It plans more in Tasmania, South Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia.
In Tasmania, it is building a facility in the Launceston suburb of St Leonards and has approval for another at Long Reach in the north. It is seeking approval for a third at Wesley Vale in the north-west.
When it won approval for Long Reach, George Town Council attached a condition. The 276 backup diesel generators could run only during emergencies, maintenance and testing, after residents raised concerns about environmental and noise impacts.
Firmus appealed, calling the condition "unreasonable". It said the rule would stop it using the generators during periods of "energy market stress".
Tasmania's Environment Protection Authority has since sought to join the appeal. Its submission said it would have assessed the proposal differently had it known the generators could be used "potentially whenever it is commercially convenient for the operator".
What Firmus told MPs
Independent MP George Razay asked how often the generators would run. Firmus energy manager Paul Grzinic said they were meant as backup only.
"They are not intended — as others have claimed — for us to run these when commercially convenient, or any other means other than in an emergency situation," he said.
Greens MP and acting inquiry chair Tabatha Badger challenged the gap between that position and the appeal. "So you can understand for Tasmanians listening, that's not going to add up and make a whole lot of sense," she said.
Grzinic said he could not discuss the appeal in detail while it continued. He said Firmus was seeking clarification because the definition of emergency was "quite broad".
Firmus is also setting up a research and development facility at Wesley Vale to look at ways of reducing reliance on backup diesel generators.
Customers stay undisclosed
Badger asked who Firmus's customers were. Co-chief executive and co-founder Tim Rosenfield declined to say.
He said it was not normal practice for commercial data centre developers to name customers, citing security and contractual confidentiality. "I don't think it's something our customers would be particularly happy with us doing," he said.
Firmus has previously said the Launceston and Wesley Vale facilities are contracted to customers, while Long Reach is under option to a customer.
Last month, Firmus withdrew its initial public offering after lacklustre investor interest. The float would have been the biggest on the Australian share market since Telstra in 1997.
