Australian utilities have warned that the strain on capacity from a $70 billion data centre build-out in Australia's largest state, New South Wales, could push up household bills. The utilities argue existing laws are insufficient to protect consumers from rising costs. They are urging the government to set limits on how rapidly expanding data centre projects use electricity and potable water shared by local communities. Critics argue that careful planning has been sacrificed in the rush to secure a piece of the multi-trillion dollar global data centre boom. The Water Services Association of Australia also warned that data centres are seeking larger volumes of water than most other customers.