Tamboran Resources, an Australian natural gas company, has unveiled a proposal to build a $5 billion data center designed to serve the U.S. and Australian defense agencies. The proposed facility would be powered by natural gas sourced from Tamboran’s Beetaloo Basin reserves, located in the Northern Territory of Australia. This ambitious project aims to support defense operations, with the data center potentially serving strategic military facilities such as Pine Gap, a vital U.S.-Australian satellite and surveillance base in Central Australia.

CEO Joel Riddle of Tamboran Resources traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with government officials, defense agencies, and potential investors in the data center sector. The company is seeking both public and private investment to fund the project, which would tap into the abundant energy resources of the Northern Territory. Riddle emphasized that the region is ideally suited for a large-scale data center due to its ample energy supplies, vast available land, established infrastructure, and proximity to key military sites. “We believe the Northern Territory is perfectly positioned for significant data center investment,” Riddle told the Australian Financial Review. “It offers plentiful energy resources, available land, and infrastructure, and our main customer would be the Department of Defence.”

The strategic positioning of the data center near major military installations such as Pine Gap and the Tindal Air Force Base is another key factor. Pine Gap is a critical U.S. intelligence and surveillance base, and Tindal is home to multiple B-52 bombers. These bases are considered highly important for U.S. defense efforts, making the region crucial to both U.S. and Australian national security interests. Riddle further noted that such a data center could support the defense sector in this strategically significant region, enhancing both national and international security.

Tamboran Resources is backed by Liberty Energy, with its CEO, Chris Wright, who was recently appointed as U.S. Secretary of Energy under President Trump. Wright, a prominent oil and gas executive, has been a proponent of increasing U.S. energy production, particularly from fossil fuels. Since his appointment, he declared a national energy emergency and rolled out policies to support the U.S. fossil fuel sector. The U.S. government has made it clear that natural gas will play a pivotal role in meeting America’s growing energy demands, and this proposal from Tamboran aligns with these broader national energy goals.

The proposed data center would not only help meet the demand for secure, high-energy data storage but would also bolster defense capabilities in one of the world’s most strategically important regions. The Beetaloo Basin’s natural gas reserves would provide a reliable and sustainable energy source for the facility. This initiative is expected to create significant investment opportunities, driving regional development and strengthening defense infrastructure while supporting the growing energy needs of both Australia and the United States.

By leveraging the region’s natural resources, Tamboran’s data center project could play a crucial role in the energy and defense sectors, benefiting both the U.S. and Australian governments. The proposal showcases the potential for collaboration between nations in strategically important areas and offers a model for how energy and defense infrastructure can work together to enhance security in the Indo-Pacific region.