Energy North Pty Ltd has referred a proposal to construct and operate a hyperscale data centre in the Barkly region to the Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority (NT EPA) for environmental assessment under the Environment Protection Act 2019 (NT). The NT EPA must consider any submissions received in response to the referral when deciding what level of environmental assessment Project Ares should be assessed at and when deciding whether to approve Energy North’s draft Terms of Reference. The referral is open for public comment until 20 August 2026. Now is your opportunity to let the NT EPA know what should be included in the Terms of Reference.