A big couple of months in the Territory

Published via Linked in by Jason Schoolmeester, Major Projects Commissioner for the Northern Territory of Australia

9 November 2021

"It is sometimes easy to miss just how much is going on in the Northern Territory of Australia. It’s really been a big couple of months for the Territory Economy with NASA setting up in Arnhem Land, a new partnership to accelerate our advanced manufacturing industry, and Sun Cable achieving critical milestones on the path to establishing a new energy export industry for Australia.

Here are just a few other things that have happened in the last couple of months, right here in the Northern Territory of Australia:

• 2 September 2021 - Seafarms, Project Sea Dragon, announces the appointment of Mick McMahon as CEO and Ian Brannan as CFO.
• 3 September 2021 - Mineral exploration expenditure data released - $40.4 million for June 2021 quarter - highest quarterly expenditure recorded in the Northern Territory, for any quarter, since 2012.
• 3 September 2021 - TNG advances green hydrogen strategy with the execution of a project development agreement with Malaysian-based green energy company AGV Energy and Technology to jointly and exclusively development green hydrogen in Australian using 'HySustain' technology developed by AGV and it's partners.
• 9 September 2021 - DXN acquires the Secure Data Centre in Darwin.
• 14 September 2021 - Santos, as operator of the Bayu-Undan Joint Venture, and Timor Leste’s regulator Autoridade Nacional do Petroleo e Minerals (ANPM) sign memorandum of understanding to progress Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) at Bayu-Undan in the Timor Sea.
• 16 September 2021 - Northern Territory of Australia mentioned in the Joint Statement Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) 2021 for Northern Territory Government’s commitment to connecting Australia to the Trans-Pacific cable, which will enhance digital connectivity between Australia and the United States and support critical infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific.
• 17 September 2021 - G’Day Group announces the acquisition of the Big4 MacDonnell Ranges Caravan Park, the final piece of its $50 million investment in tourism assets in Central Australia which began with Kings Canyon Resort and Glen Helen Resort earlier in the year.
• 21 September 2021 - United States Government Defence Logistics Agency, Fuel Storage Facility has announced a tender award to construct $270 million fuel storage facility at East Arm in Darwin to Crowley Government Services.
• 21 September 2021 – Announcement of Northern Territory Government and Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) partnership, including the $7.5 million Ecosystem Fund and appointment of a local Northern Territory director.
• 23 September 2021 - Core Lithium signs mining services agreement for the Finniss Lithium Project with Lucas TCS.
• 23 September 2021 - Sun Cable, Australia-Asia Power Link - joint announcement with the Government of Indonesia confirming that the Indonesian Government has recommended the route of the transmission cables through Indonesian waters and granted the subsea survey permit.
• 24 September 2021 - NASA personnel traveling to Arnhem Space Centre to prepare for their mid-2022 orbital sounding rocket launch campaign, which will see three sounding rockets take-off from the Arnhem Space Centre. As part of the mission, the rockets will carry scientific instruments into space to conduct astrophysics research and provide scientists with the opportunity to study astronomical objects that cannot be observed from the Northern Hemisphere rocket ranges from which NASA launches. This will be the first time NASA will undertake a launch from a commercial launch facility outside of the USA.
• 28 September 2021 - G’Day Group acquires the MacDonnell Ranges Caravan Park in Alice Springs and Shady Lane Tourist Park in Katherine, the final piece of its $50 million investment in tourism assets in Central Australia which began with Kings Canyon Resort and Glen Helen Resort earlier in the year.
• 28 September 2021 - The Northern Territory Government announces partnership with CSIRO, industry and engineering companies to develop a blueprint that will assess the viability of a large-scale low emissions Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage Hub based at Middle Arm. The hub would be one of the largest multi-user, multi-access hubs globally. Industry and engineering companies who have committed to collaborating on the business case include Santos, INPEX, Woodside, Eni, Origin Energy and Xodus.
• 29 September 2021 - Tiwi Partners awarded a $107.8 million contract to deliver facilities at a RAAF Delamere Air Weapon Range.
• 30 September 2021 - Core Lithium Board approves Finniss Lithium Project final investment decision. The project fully funded and will construction will start in October 2021.
• 30 September 2021 - TNG announces plan to progress an alternate site for the downstream TIVAN Processing Facility within the existing mining lease west of Alice Springs.
• 5 October 2021 - The Northern Territory Government released the Darwin-Katherine Electricity System Plan - a comprehensive and credible pathway to generate 50% renewable energy by 2030. For more information visit the Territory Renewable Energy website.
• 7 October 2021 - The Northern Territory Government released the renewable hydrogen master plan to guide development of a Northern Territory renewable hydrogen industry. For more information on the master plan, visit the Territory Renewable Energy website.
• 8 October 2021 - Qantas selects Darwin to operate its flagship direct route, the Kangaroo route, from Australia to London via Darwin.
• 8 October 2021 - RFP close for Darwin Ship Lift Project.
• 11 October 2021 - Sentinal and the GPT Group are in discussions on sale of Casuarina Shopping Centre (just over 10kms north of Darwin’s CBD). The centre is estimated to be worth $420 million. Sentinel made its maiden Darwin investment five years ago outlaying $34 million for the six building CasCom Centre business park - on 1.9 hectares neighbouring Casuarina Square.
• 12 October 2021 - Seafarms announces construction works at Legune awarded to head contractor, Canstruct, are progressing in line with schedule and updated the estimated capital cost.
• 14 October 2021 - Qantas boosts Northern Australian connectivity with two new routes for next year - Darwin to Townsville and Darwin to Cairns. 
• 14 October 2021 - Northern Territory Government announces $5 million co-investment into Equatorial Launch Australia’s Arnhem Space Centre - a commercial space launch facility near Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory of Australia. The private sector co-investors include Blackfyre Holding, Paspalis Innovation Investment Fund, and a group of sophisticated investors coordinated by Greenwich Capital.
• 18 October 2021 - DCI Data Centres announce their DRW01 data centre to be constructed in Darwin. DCI has secured a 2.7 hectare site, which provides enough space to support up to 10 Megawatts of IT load. The deal also provides an option to expand up to 5 hectares in the future. The DRW01 design, subject to development application approval, is based on the secure cloud edge TIER-Ready III design that is being used by DCI in Adelaide, with physical security up to Zone 5.
• 20 October 2021 - Sun Cable announces an Integrated Project Delivery Team of world-leading engineering firms to progress $30+ billion Australia-Asia Power Link project. Team comprises: Bechtel Corporation, Hatch, Marsh, PwC Australia, and SMEC (Surbana Jurong Private Limited). It is exciting to see Sun Cable assemble such a high calibre team - many with experience in the Northern Territory of Australia. It demonstrates a real confidence in the project and the Northern Territory. The project will invest A$8 billion in Australia during construction, much of it right here in the Northern Territory. 
• 21 October 2021 - Iris Capital reached settlement on the Lasseter’s Casino and Hotel and confirmed an intention to invest $100 million to create a world-class tourism destination for Australia’s red heart.
• 21 October 2021 - Local Northern Territory construction company Halikos awarded the contract to build the new Charles Darwin University Education and Community Precinct in Darwin’s central business district. The $190.1 million agreement design and construct contract is for the construction of the main building, its complete fit-out as operating education and office spaces, and the landscaping of the public areas. The $250 million project and centrepiece of the Darwin City Deal is a partnership between the Australian Government, the Northern Territory Government and Charles Darwin University.
• 22 October 2021 - Qantas announces a new route from Sydney to Delhi, via Darwin.
• 22 October 2021 - Aurizon announces agreement to acquire One Rail Australia, including the 2,200km Tarcoola-to-Darwin railway line.
• 23 October 2021 - An investment of $8 million in connectivity works is being carried out in East Arnhem Land, to improve services for remote Territorians. The Arnhem Fibre Backhaul Project has been jointly funded by the Northern Territory Government, Telstra and the Commonwealth through its Regional Connectivity Program, with all contributing $2.5 million to the upgrades. Developing East Arnhem Limited has also invested $500,000 into the upgrades.
• 25 October 2021 - NEXTDC, the successful proponent of the Northern Territory Government’s data centre expression of interest process, will further expand its digital infrastructure platform with the development of a new Tier III data centre facility (D1) and Mission Critical Operations centre in the Darwin CBD. Vocus will provide high-capacity connectivity to D1 on its Terabit Territory fibre network, as well as being an anchor tenant in the facility. D1 will also support Vocus’ in-progress fibre infrastructure deployments in Australia’s north, including the Darwin-Jakarta-Singapore Cable system and the Project Horizon fibre between Darwin and Perth via Port Hedland.
• 26 October 2021 - Core Lithium announces that construction has started on the Finniss Lithium Project in the Northern Territory of Australia, near Darwin.
• 27 October 2021 - Empire Energy and APA Group executed a memorandum of understanding to explore opportunities for the development of Beetaloo mid-stream infrastructure including gas and liquids gathering, processing and pipelines.
• 27 October 2021 - Release of a report by Charles Darwin University and NERA (National Energy Resources Australia), the Australian Government funded, independent not-for-profit set up to drive collaboration and growth in the energy resources sector. The report, produced with support from Santos, Sun Cable and the Northern Territory Government, used the Santos-operated Darwin LNG facility as a technical case study, to examine the potential to decarbonise LNG facilities at sites across the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia via electrification and large-scale renewables. The report found that the integration of solar energy into Australia’s liquid natural gas industry could dramatically reduce Australia’s carbon footprint.
• 27 October 2021 - World-class Low Emissions Hub Agreement. The Northern Territory Government in partnership with the CSIRO, industry and engineering companies signed an agreement to fast-track emissions reduction across northern Australia’ energy sector. The greement will see all parties, including INPEX, Santos, Eni, Woodside, Xodus Group and Origin Energy, develop a joint business case to assess the viability of a large-scale low emission Carbon Capture and Utilisation and Storage Hub at Middle Arm. 
• 27 October 2021 - GEV announces plans to develop a 2.8GW green hydrogen export project on the Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territory of Australia. The Tiwi Hydrogen Project will produce up to 100,000t per year of green hydrogen for export into the Asia-Pacific region and deliver a fully integrated green hydrogen production and export supply chain, commencing with a fleet of GEV’s 430t compressed hydrogen ships.
• 27 October 2021 - Australian Government announces Northern Territory company Sitzler Pty ltd as the managing contractor for $747 million upgrade of facilities at four Defence training areas in the Northern Territory (the Northern Territory Training Areas and Ranges Upgrades Project). Sitzler has given the first estimates of the number of people to be employed on the project, with that figure expected to reach 2,000 over the course of the five-year upgrades. Sitzler has a target of 98% of the construction sub-contractor packages to businesses within northern Australia.
• 28 October 2021 - Appointment of a Territory AFL Team Taskforce. The long-term aim of the taskforce is to identify the pathway to further explore opportunities that could underpin a team not only competing, but being sustainable and inspiring our young people by achieving high levels of success both on and off the field. The taskforce will ensure that when the opportunity for an AFL licence becomes available, the Territory is ready.
• 1 November 2021 - Empire Energy and the Northern Territory Power and Water Corporation executed a memorandum of understanding to facilitate negotiations for potential gas sales and transportation arrangements.
• 2 November 2021 - The Territory Government announced an industry-led Mineral Development Taskforce to drive the Territory’s resources sector and unlock a strong pipeline of projects. For more information visit the Resourcing the Territory website.
• 4 November 2021 - Second international cable announced for Darwin - Hawaiki unveiled ambitions plans for a new 22,000km submarine cable system connecting Singapore, Jakarta, Darwin, eastern Australia, the south island of New Zealand, Hawaii and Los Angeles. Construction is due to start in 2022, with an expected cable ready for service date in 2025."

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