Chief Minister to woo small business in Year Ahead speech with new digital ‘Can Do Territory’ portal and Jabiru power plant

CONSTRUCTION of a new hybrid power station at Kakadu National Park’s largest town will begin within weeks, the Chief Minister will reveal on Monday

CONSTRUCTION of a new hybrid power station at Kakadu National Park’s largest town will begin within weeks, the Chief Minister will reveal on Monday as part of his political year agenda-setting speech.

Michael Gunner, during his annual Year Ahead speech Monday morning in preparation for the first parliamentary session of 2021 on Tuesday, will also announce the launch of a new digital portal to streamline small business applications, including liquor licences.

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The NT News can reveal Mr Gunner will confirm the government has awarded a contract, the cost of which cannot be disclosed, to a Brisbane-based energy company to build a hybrid diesel and solar power station at Jabiru as part of the town’s ongoing post-uranium mining transition.

The hybrid power station, to be built by Energy Developments, will deliver at least 50 per cent of its electricity over the lifetime of the project from its 3.9MW solar farm.

Construction is due to begin in April, with the power station to be working by the end of the year and be fully commissioned by early 2022.

The Power and Water Corporation will operate and maintain Jabiru’s electricity network and will be handed $10m to upgrade the system in preparation of connection to the power station.

The government has promised no power bill price increases at Jabiru.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner. Picture: Che Chorley

Mr Gunner said the project would “underpin a re-imagined” Jabiru as a “whole new tourism and services hub”.

He will also announce a partnership with NBN to rollout fibre-to-the-premises at Jabiru later this year.

The government will also build, in the second half of 2021, a new health clinic at Jabiru that includes a new four-chair renal facility.

It comes as Mr Gunner launches the “Can-Do Territory Portal”, a recommendation of the Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission that will be a one-stop shop for business applications.

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Stage one of the digital portal will be aimed at business applications like registering or renewing a food business, applying for a liquor licence, applying for a trade waste permit and accessing key links to information such as applying for an ABN or writing a business plan.

The platform, part of a $10m investment, will continue to be expanded to include more business applications, and further streamline the process.

The portal comes four months after Mr Gunner approved a nine-point red tape slashing plan to ensure the government hits the Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission’s June deadline to make the NT the “easiest place to do business”.