Dow boss urges NT to bid for chemical factory NIGEL...

Dow boss urges NT to bid for chemical factory

NIGEL ADLAM

December 2nd, 2009


Andrew Liveris

THE Territory must "do an Inpex" to win a $2 billion chemical plant, one of the world's biggest companies said yesterday.

Dow Chemicals wants to build a factory in Australia.

Darwin-born company head Andrew Liveris said he was in talks with Queensland and Western Australia - and was willing to look at the NT.

But he wants a guaranteed supply of gas to produce chemicals and plastics.

In an exclusive interview with the Northern Territory News from his office in the United States, Mr Liveris said: "I'm still a Darwin boy at heart."

He said "it was still a possibility" that the factory would be built in the Territory.

But he made it clear that sentiment would play no part in Dow Chemicals' decision.

The Inpex gas project was to be built in WA until the Territory Government lured the Japanese resources company to Darwin.

Mr Liveris said Dow needed access to natural gas liquids, the components of gas that can be used to make chemicals and plastics.

The liquids are exported from the ConocoPhillips LNG plant in Darwin to be burnt for energy-production in Tokyo.

They will also be sent overseas by Inpex.

Mr Liveris said the liquids would be better used creating products and high-paying jobs in Darwin.

He said the federal and Territory governments needed to change their attitude towards gas - from simply extracting and exporting it to using it for value-added enterprises.

"Look at Western Australia and you will see what are lauded as successful gas projects. But they don't value add anything for the country."

http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2009/12/02/105741_nt-business.html