Data and methodology
This page explains how dc-intelligence selects, records and presents data. The goal is that every published value can be traced to its source and its meaning.
Sources and evidence
The product prefers primary sources: operator publications, government planning portals, ministerial releases and planning documents. Each published value links to a source document and, where possible, to the specific page or table that supports it.
Corroboration matters. Where an independent non-operator source supports a claim, that is recorded. Where a claim rests on a single operator statement, it is still published but is not described as corroborated. Coverage is reported per region rather than implied.
What each label means
- Reported, calculated, estimated, modelled. How a value was obtained. Reported means a source states it directly. Calculated means a deterministic conversion or aggregation. Estimated and modelled values are not published in the current dataset.
- Actual, approved, proposed. What a value represents. Actual is evidenced operating performance. Approved is covered by an evidenced approval. Proposed is publicly proposed without evidenced approval.
- Commissioned, design, connection. The basis of a power figure. Commissioned is operating capacity. Design is declared build-out capacity. Connection is the electrical capacity of a grid connection. These are never added together.
Facilities, projects and scope
A facility is a coherent site identity. A development project is a separate concept: it may create, expand or change a facility. Some economic facts attach to a project rather than to a facility, and the product shows which subject a value describes.
Commitments versus benchmarks
A commitment is an evidenced target or undertaking for a specific facility, such as a stated efficiency limit. A general industry benchmark or a corporate aspiration is not treated as a facility commitment. Commitments are compared against published actuals using neutral wording such as met, not met or no comparable actual.
Exact values and bounds
Where a source states a range or a bound, such as more than one billion dollars, the product records that bound rather than treating it as an exact figure.
Missing data and coverage
Missing data is shown as missing, never as zero. A regional total shows its coverage, for example two of nine facilities. A total never implies completeness when underlying values are absent.
Corrections and history
Corrections add a new record and a link to the record it replaces. Historical values remain available rather than being silently overwritten.
Analytical region boundaries
Melbourne West and Sydney West are editorial analytical regions. Their boundaries are governed and versioned, and are drawn to bound industrial and employment corridors. They are not official government regions and should not be read as legal or administrative boundaries.
Evidence links
Evidence links open the source document in a new tab. The product stores source metadata and links only. It does not republish source documents.