Tamboran Resources CEO pitches new data centre for use by Pine Gap to new Trump administration

A defence facility in Central Australia could potentially be copping a billion dollar computing boost – if the new Trump administration likes the pitch of a major Northern Territory gas player. Find out more.

Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap near Alice Springs, NT. Picture: File

A billion dollar computing boost could be on the way for a Central Australia defence facility courtesy of the new Trump administration – if they like the a pitch by a Northern Territory gas giant chief executive.

Tamboran Resources chief executive Joel Riddle has flown to Washington, where he’s sought a USD $5 billion ($8b AUD) investment from the new Trump Government for a data centre project powered by the company’s extracted gas, it has been reported.

Mr Riddle told the Australian Financial Review one of the biggest users of the new centre could be military bases such as Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap, located southwest of Alice Springs.

Mr Riddle said “Pine Gap is crucial and there is the Tindal air force base, where there are now nine B52s on the tarmac”.

“This is a highly strategic part of the world for US interest,” he said.

“We think the Northern Territory is well positioned for a substantial data centre investment. There is an abundant energy resource, abundant land, existing infrastructure, and a customer that is the Department of Defence.”

Tamboran Resources Chief Executive Joel Riddle. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Mr Riddle reportedly met with the Trump administration, investors, and government agencies to pitch the new data centre.

A Tamboran spokesperson told this masthead the company was “looking at opportunities to support sectors in the new economy with high energy requirements that could be supported by the Beetaloo’s onshore resource, such as growing global demand for data centres”.

The spokesperson provided no comment on the outcome of the meeting.

Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap is a joint US and Australian military facility, with pro-Palestinian activists blocking the entry to it in November 2023 in protest of the base’s alleged involvement in atrocities committed in Gaza.

Mr Riddle’s move came after Mr Trump announced the Stargate venture – backed by Oracle’s Larry Ellison and OpenAI’s Sam Altman – which is set to build a network of data centres and energy infrastructure.

Mr Trump’s venture was labelled part of a new “space race” set to compete with China in the artificial intelligence sphere.

Mr Riddle made his trip to Washington a week before China’s DeepSeek AI went live.

The AI caused the stocks of US tech companies to drop, with Mr Trump calling the new AI a “wake up call” for US tech companies.

Tamboran Resources is backed by Liberty Energy, which invested $15.2m into a modern frac fleet for Tamboran’s Beetaloo basin projects in 2023.

Liberty Energy founder Chris Wright is now the Energy Secretary in Trump’s cabinet.

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 15: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Energy Chris Wright testifies during his Senate Energy and Natural Resources confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. Wright is a U.S. engineer and entrepreneur serving as the CEO of Liberty Energy, which is the second-largest hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, company in North America. Picture: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images/AFP

Mr Riddle is originally from Alabama, but moved to Australia in 2012, later becoming a citizen.

Lock the Gate Alliance spokesman Pete Callendar is against the proposal, linking it back to the CLP’s recently announced Territory Coordinator role.

“Unfortunately, the CLP Government’s Territory Coordinator will strip our rights away and enable big corporations to cut corners and fast track projects, leaving Territorians with no say,” he said.

“We don’t think Donald Trump should be deciding what happens in the NT, that should be up to Territorians.”

NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said the US was a “very important partner to the Territory” and “that defence is a key economic contributor to the Territory”.

“It represents nearly 10 per cent of our GDP, and it’s something we want to enhance moving forward, and so we welcome the new US government,” she said.

“The Territory is open for business, and the Beetaloo Basin is set to drive economic growth and create new opportunities.

“The Northern Territory plays a crucial role in energy security and holds strategic importance in safeguarding the Indo-Pacific region.

“If (Trump) wants to come to the Territory, we’ll welcome him with open arms”.

Originally published as Tamboran Resources CEO pitches new data centre for use by Pine Gap to new Trump administration