Ford Falcon factory site in Broadmeadows set to become a data centre – report

The home of the Falcon and Territory, Ford’s Broadmeadows Assembly Plant, has had its future pencilled in as a $1.1 billion data centre.

After almost 10 years in limbo, the former Ford Australia factory in Campbellfield, Victoria – which built models such as the Falcon, Fairlane, Capri and Territory – has reportedly had its future set.

Around one-third of the 60-hectare site formerly occupied by Ford’s Broadmeadows Assembly Plant is set to be transformed into a data centre by Singapore-based firm Zerra DC, according to The Urban Developer.

The new development has a proposed cost of $1.1 billion, it is reported, with a staged construction rollout that will include six buildings dedicated to a new data centre, and additional construction to provide the site offices that go with it.

Ford’s ownership of the site ended in 2019, with the Campbellfield factory site sold to Melbourne-based commercial property developer, Pelligra Group, alongside its Geelong engine and stamping plant.

MORE: Ford sells Broadmeadows and Geelong factories for undisclosed sum

Many of the original Ford buildings at both Campbellfield and Geelong have been demolished, with the Geelong site now home to an Amazon fulfilment centre and a handful of commercial tenants.

Ford Australia still operates research, design, and engineering roles out of its Broadmeadows site, now called the Asia Pacific Product Development Centre – including for the Ranger ute and Everest SUV – albeit on a much smaller footprint without the associated production-line buildings.

The Broadmeadows Assembly Plant opened in 1959 in preparation for the first Australian-built Falcon in 1960, with the model produced there until the final Australian-built Ford, an FG X Falcon XR6, was produced on 7 October 2016.

Broadmeadows was the sole Australian assembly site for the Falcon, along with related vehicles including the long-wheelbase Fairlane and LTD derivatives, Falcon ute, panel van, and cab-chassis variants, and the closely-related Territory SUV.

MORE: Chery says Australia should restart car manufacturing

Assembly of Ford Cortina also took place at Broadmeadows.

Zerra DC’s planning application for stage one of the project includes a five-megawatt energy storage system comprising 45 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries.

The proposed data centre is claimed to use air cooling to reduce its reliance on resource-intensive water cooling, which places a massive demand on fresh water supplies, with the battery array in place to reduce grid load in peak usage times.

The planning application for the site development has been lodged by Zerra DC, with Victorian Government approval still pending.

The post Ford Falcon factory site in Broadmeadows set to become a data centre – report appeared first on Drive.

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