AirTrunk named operator of proposed 935,730 sqm Melbourne campus

AirTrunk said this week it is the operator behind a proposed 935,730 sqm data center campus at 45 Donnybrook Road in Mickleham, about 35km north of central Melbourne. The site sits inside the 67-hectare Fusion Business Park, owned by real estate firm McMullin, and is close to the Kalkallo Zone Substation.

The project would be built across up to seven buildings. AirTrunk said the campus would use air-based cooling and would not draw community water during normal operations. The developer would fund its own grid connection and deliver new renewable energy projects.

Nearby households would be able to receive an AU$200 (US$137.88) annual deduction on a standard electricity bill via Origin Energy.

For allocators underwriting Australian data center assets, the pledges put the grid connection and the household electricity deduction on the operator's books, not on the network or residents.

Blackstone and the Canadian Pension Plan acquired AirTrunk in 2024 for US$16.1 billion. AirTrunk, founded in 2018, already has two Melbourne campuses. The Mickleham project would be its third. Community information sessions are scheduled for November.