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NORTHERN TERRITORY

NT goes hook,

line and sinker

for manufacturing

Northern Territory Minister for Primary Industry
and Resources Hon Paul Kirby may have been
speaking with Paydirt from a pristine barramundi
farm in the Top End, however, he was keen to

emphasise that there was a lot more going for the
State than its vibrant fishing and aquaculture sector.

here is a growing willingness to invest through the NT. That’s where our aim is, 100,000 bpd of condensate (peak produc-
Tin NT. We have had record mining pro- we know that the conversations we’ve had tion).
duction of close to $5 billion in NT mining. overseas and with interstate businesses Such a project demonstrates the po-
Exploration is probably at its heaviest since recently about where the hydrogen dis- tential inherent in NT, while recent news
the mining boom in the 1980s, so we’re in a cussions might go into the future and our that Australian billionaire Mike Cannon-
really strong position,” Kirby said. capacity to be really heavily involved in Brookes was proposing to back the $25
“Also, some of the ancillary investments that because we have such an expansive billion SunCable project in the Tennant
by gas companies in the Territory show a land and such an availability of solar,” Kirby Creek region is another boon for the State.
real level of confidence. Santos, for exam- said. Cannon-Brookes was expected to make
ple, just this week announced it is investing “Our markets to the north of Darwin can an investment decision by the end of the
a couple of billion dollars here. We know also be accessed through our rail and port year on SunCable, which will feed the Aus-
the security and longevity of this industry facilities. We can get in and out of the port tralia-Singapore Power Link (ASPL) via a
through the NT is certainly safe and solid and into Asia really quickly, which puts us 10GW solar farm and a 20-30GW/h stor-
for years to come.” in a good position, so that is where our age facility, near Tennant Creek.
While other states in Australia face the head is at as the Territory Government.” Tennant Creek has one of the highest
conundrum of affordable energy, NT is The onshore LNG processing facilities – solar irradiance resources on earth and
lapping up the options it can utilise in re- billed as one of the most complex and larg- the proposed solar farm is the largest of its
newables and the onshore/offshore gas est resource developments in the world – kind in the world.
sectors. at the Inpex-operated Ichthys project was The ASPL will supply loads in the Dar-
Therefore, despite the State’s rich urani- officially opened late last year. win and Singapore markets via a high
um potential, Kirby said the Government’s Ichthys’ life expectancy is estimated to voltage direct current transmission, the re-
focus would be solely on the renewable be 40 years and involves liquefying natural wards for NT to be far outreaching beyond
energy and gas sectors. gas from the Ichthys gas-condensate field the long term, competitive, stably priced
“We want to make sure that into the fu- offshore Western Australia at the Darwin renewable electricity to the markets it is
ture we have a massive ability to access facility, whereby production and shipping destined.
a very cheap and sustainable sun supply of 8.9 mtpa LNG, 1.65 mtpa LPG and “It is in the early stages and will be a

Page 54 NOVeMBeR 2019 aUSTRaLIa’S PaYDIRT