Wesley Vale R&D AI Factory: Q&As
Firmus’ proposed R&D AI Factory will use an existing warehouse and existing electricity capacity at Wesley Vale to test new approaches to backup energy and the operation of AI infrastructure.
Wesley Vale R&D AI Factory Q&As
Firmus is an AI infrastructure company, founded on inventing new and more efficient infrastructure to train and run AI models. The Wesley Vale R&D AI Factory will test alternate backup generation strategies. The facility is intended to be a real-world environment where these ideas can be tested, measured and refined.
The facility will combine behind-the-meter battery energy storage with Firmus’ power control and workload orchestration systems. Workload orchestration means managing computing tasks: moving, pausing, slowing or shifting them in response to available power and network conditions. This allows the facility’s electricity demand to be actively managed and creates opportunities to optimise the use of stored energy.
Firmus will test whether this approach can improve operational resilience during network events, enhance grid responsiveness and reduce reliance on conventional backup generation. This builds on Firmus’ Launceston R&D operations, where the company has developed and tested new approaches to AI infrastructure cooling, grid integration and energy efficiency.
No. The R&D AI Factory will be built inside one of the existing warehouses on the former Wesley Vale Pulp Mill landholding. It will refurbish and repurpose the existing building.
No. The R&D facility is proposed to operate with a maximum electricity demand of 26 MW using the existing available substation infrastructure at the TasNetworks Wesley Vale substation on a non-firm basis. This means the facility’s electricity demand can be automatically reduced or disconnected if required to support the electricity network.
No increase in the overall connection capacity of the Wesley Vale site is required for the R&D facility. Some minor upgrades and augmentation to the existing infrastructure will be required to support the facility, with those works to be funded by Firmus and subject to the required technical studies and connection approvals.
Firmus is currently progressing those studies and approvals with TasNetworks and through the relevant Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) processes.
No increase in connection capacity will be required for the R&D factory. The facility is proposed to operate using existing electricity infrastructure and existing available connection capacity, subject to the required technical studies and connection approvals. Firmus is progressing those detailed technical studies and approvals with TasNetworks and through the relevant Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) processes.
Firmus is covering all of the costs of the R&D factory and the related research program.
Under the proposed connection arrangement, the R&D AI Factory will operate as a flexible, non-firm load. This means its electricity demand can be rapidly reduced or disconnected if required by TasNetworks due to an outage, network constraint or other system condition.
In simple terms, the facility is designed to operate on a flexible, non-firm basis when the electricity network is under pressure.
Load would only be restored when network conditions allow and in accordance with the agreed connection arrangements. This flexibility is an important part of how Firmus is designing its Tasmanian facilities to support the secure operation of the electricity network.
The R&D AI Factory will use dry cooling for most of the year, with little or no water required for cooling under typical operating conditions. Water will only be used on hot days above 26°C, which typically occur on a limited number of days each year based on local weather data.
Estimated average annual water use for cooling is approximately 224 kL, subject to final design and operating conditions. Rainwater harvesting and on-site storage will be the primary source of cooling water, with any supplementary supply used only where required for operational resilience.
The R&D facility is expected to create approximately 20 permanent jobs and will also be supported by Firmus’ Launceston and Hobart based technical team.
The R&D facility forms part of Firmus’ broader Wesley Vale development area. Its proposed energy requirements form part of the broader Tasmanian energy requirements Firmus is discussing with Hydro Tasmania; they do not represent a separate request beyond that proposal.
These discussions are considering Firmus’ future energy requirements, the flexibility its facilities can provide, and how additional renewable generation and firming could support supply. The energy supply process remains ongoing.
The R&D facility is part of Firmus’ broader Wesley Vale development area. It will use an existing warehouse on the former pulp mill landholding and complement the previously announced Wesley Vale AI Factory.
While it is a separate development with its own research purpose and planning process, it forms part of the broader Wesley Vale development area. The R&D facility will be developed within the site’s existing planned infrastructure and electricity arrangements and does not represent an increase in the overall electricity demand planned for Wesley Vale.
Yes. The fact that the R&D facility follows a different planning pathway does not remove the requirement for it to comply with all applicable planning, building and environmental standards.
That includes requirements relating to matters such as noise, lighting, mechanical plant, traffic, stormwater, environmental nuisance and impacts on surrounding properties. The facility will be designed, constructed and operated in accordance with the applicable approvals, standards and conditions.
Visit Firmus’ Wesley Vale AI Factory project page to learn more about the larger proposed development.