Ann: Statement from Tivan Board on Middle Arm Precinct, page-3

The NT government has announced the first set of proponents to anchor the Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct.

Five companies have been given ‘not to deal’ commitments over land at the precinct.

They will then have up to 12 months to decide whether to proceed with their particluar project.

French renewable energy operator TEH2, 100 per cent owned by Total Eren and a global independent power producer, wants to develop a green hydrogen production facility using solar energy. The project is capable of producing more than 80,000 tonnes of renewables-based hydrogen per annum for domestic and export potential.

Fortescue Future Industries is also signed on, with the global green energy company proposing to develop a green hydrogen hub, comprised of green hydrogen and green ammonia production and export facilities.

Critical minerals outfit Tivan wants to produce vanadium oxides through application of innovative downstream processing technology using feedstock sourced from Tivan’s Speewah and Mount Peake Projects, with titanium dioxide and iron oxide also produced as by-products.

Tivan is also working to facilitate an industrialisation pathway for vanadium redox flow batteries.

Natural gas operator Tamboran Resources Limited wants to establish a lower CO2 emissions liquefied natural gas export facility.

Gas from this export facility is expected to play an important role in the decarbonisation plans of our neighbours and trading partners in Asia and beyond.

Critical minerals company Avenira is proposing a lithium-ferro-phosphatecathode manufacturing facility at Middle Arm, which will manufacture pre-cursor battery cathode materials from critical minerals, including phosphate sourced from the Wonarah Project in the Northern Territory.

Inpex, which is already based at Middle Arm, announced on Wednesday it would team up with the CSIRO to explore the potential for a hydrogen market in Darwin.

The MASDP is 1500 hectares of industrial land designed to drive industry, exports, job creation and population growth in the Northern Territory.

Long earmarked for industrial development, despite pressure from environmentalists who want to retain the area as wilderness, the federal Labor government committed $1.5bn to bankroll the precinct.

The NT News has been told the federal government is taking development at the precinct extremely seriously, viewing it potentially as a national economic growth province with enormous potential to generate national income.

Speaking last October when the commonwealth committed $1.5bn to the precinct, Infrastructure Minister Eva Lawler signposted Middle Arm’s potential to drive economic growth in the NT.

The federal and NT governments believed the projects represent tens-of-billions in capital investment and potentially 20,000 jobs. Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said it would deliver environmental and economic benefits.

“Middle Arm is about building the Territory’s future. This is about new sources of renewable and low-emissions energy, new investment, new industries, and most importantly, new jobs for Territorians,” she said.

“I can give you 20,000 good reasons why this is important. This will create new, permanent, long-term jobs for the Territory, and that’s what matters to me. Clean energy jobs are the future, and that’s the future we’re building for the Territory.

“We’re absolutely committed to growing our economy while also transitioning to net zero emissions, and Middle Arm will play a huge part in that transition. This is what responsibly decarbonising and diversifying our economy looks like.

“We’ve always said that sustainability will be at the core of Middle Arm, and our focus on clean energy demonstrates that. An environmental strategic assessment is underway now for the entire precinct.

“A lot of nonsense gets spouted about Middle Arm, but today’s announcement shows the Territory, investors and the rest of the country just how committed my government is to making this a reality.”