THE Territory has billions of dollars of major projects in the pipeline.
Here is a list of government-backed and privately-backed projects on our books.
Alice Springs tourism commercial development
On 30 April 2017 the Chief Minister indicated a preparedness to provide land in Alice Springs through an expression of interest process for a potential tourism or commercial venture.
The project was one of five major private sector projects supported by the Northern Territory (NT) Government, designed to unlock investment in the Territory and create hundreds of jobs.
The Department of Trade, Business and Innovation engaged AEC Group Pty Ltd (AEC) to investigate market conditions and options for the development and operation of a new mixed use tourism / commercial project in Alice Springs.
The AEC work which has been finalised included:
* a market analysis to confirm the demand for and timing of a new tourism / commercial development
* an analysis of appropriate site(s) for the project
* a scoping study to investigate the potential scope, scale, size and configuration of a new tourism / commercial development
* advice on commercial and financial considerations for the proposed development.
The NT Government is currently working through site options and undertaking stakeholder engagement with a view to nominating a site as part of a future competitive market process.
The competitive market process will likely involve an initial expression of interest process to identify suitably qualified parties who may then be invited to prepare detailed proposals.
Darwin data centre
The Northern Territory (NT) Government is seeking expressions of interest (EOI) from suitably qualified and experienced parties (proponents) to develop and operate data centres in Darwin. Submissions are invited for the single stage competitive process.
The NT is undertaking a single stage competitive process to raise awareness of the opportunity and invite submissions from suitably qualified / experienced entities.
The NT Government has identified a site in the suburb of Wishart that is available for the purpose of construction of a data centre or data centres.
The site has flexible land parcels with ample land for expansion. Up to 100MW of power can be supplied at the site over the development period.
The government is also willing to work with proponents on bespoke solutions with a strategic need or individual power requirements above 100MW.
Darwin Ship Lift and Marine Industry Project
Expressions of interest (EOI) are now being sought from suitably qualified contractors to oversee and manage the design and construction of the Darwin Ship Lift Project on behalf of the NT Government.
The EOI will be the first of a three staged procurement process for this project:
EOI phase - initial capability assessments and development of the delivery model, resulting in the shortlisted respondents progressing to the next phase. The EOI opens on 11 August and closes on 25 September 2020.
Request for proposals (RFP) phase - a detailed assessment and costing to further shortlist the respondents to proceed to the final detailed design development phase. The RFP will take place between October and December 2020.
Request for detailed design (RFDD) phase - a competitive detailed design phase resulting in the appointment of the construction contractor for the project. The RFDD will take place between February and June 2021.
The three staged procurement process for this project will be undertaken through the Industry Capability Network Northern Territory (ICN NT) Gateway.
Suppliers are encouraged to register their interest via the ICN NT database to receive updates / notifications on upcoming activities for the project.
Darwin Ship Lift Project
The NT Government is building the largest ship lift in Northern Australia.
The Darwin Ship Lift Facility will enable the maintenance and servicing of Defence and Australian Border Force vessels, along with commercial and private vessels, including from the oil, gas and marine industries.
The ship lift facility will be designed to meet the needs of the general maritime sector and the current and long-term needs of the Department of Defence and the Australian Border Force, while supporting local jobs and economic growth in the Territory.
Once operational the facility will be a catalyst for the development of a marine maintenance and servicing industry, and the creation of many new jobs.
The common user ship lift facility will include:
* a ship lift 26m wide, 103m long and 6m deep
* lifting capability of 5,000 tonnes
* wet berths (wharves)
* additional hard stand area for ship repair and maintenance works.
The ship lift will have the capacity to lift vessels such as the new fleet of offshore patrol vessels procured by the Australian Defence Force.
The ship lift facility will be a common user facility, which will enable vessel owners to choose and manage their own service and maintenance providers. This will also enable multiple providers to operate concurrently at the facility.
An agreement between the NT Government and Paspaley, will result in the facility being constructed on NT Government-owned land.
The ship lift is a common user facility that will operate on a commercial basis. There will be a legislated open access regime to ensure fair and equal use for all customers. Pricing and access will be overseen by the independent Utilities Commission. Construction is anticipated to take two years, enabling the facility to be operating in 2024.
Mount Isa to Tennant Creek Railway Project
The Mount Isa to Tennant Creek Railway Project aims to link the existing Tarcoola to Darwin railway with the Great Northern Line operating from Mount Isa to Townsville.
The Northern Territory (NT) Government considers a rail link connecting the NT to north-western Queensland as critical for regional and national economic development and the creation of regional employment opportunities.
The project will provide rail connectivity through the Darwin to Townsville economic corridor and support the development of phosphate, agriculture, gas / liquids and other mineral exports along the rail corridor.
Current work to support the project is focused on developing a more comprehensive understanding of the economic potential of the Barkly region through early-stage resources studies.
This includes:
* Pre-competitive geoscience information being collected by the Australian and Northern Territory governments under the AU$100 million Exploring for the Future program. For further information go to the Australian Government’s Exploring for the Future website.
* Assessments of land capability, water availability and biodiversity assets by the NT Government to support land planning, reduce investment decision risk and encourage private sector investment.
* Land and capability studies are in various stages of development for the Barkly Tableland (Frewena), Tennant Creek West, Dunmarra, North Barkly and Western Davenport areas. For further information go to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources website.
The release of new geoscience and land capability information should generate new exploration and resource discoveries and unlock new investment opportunities in the region that could underpin future demand for the railway.
Seniors lifestyle accommodation
Like the rest of Australia, the Northern Territory (NT) is experiencing an increase in the proportion of seniors living or working in our community.
As this occurs, Territorians are seeking a greater range of housing options to live independently, in a safe environment, and with access to care and community support.
The NT Government’s vision is for senior Territorians to remain in the Territory and be able to transition into appropriate accommodation by ‘downsizing’ and ‘rightsizing’ if they wish. The NT Government is also considering operating structures for these accommodation options and keen to ensure that these maximise consumer protections.
In April 2017, the NT Government announced $500,000 to begin progressing the development of seniors’ lifestyle accommodation in Alice Springs, the Darwin urban area and the Darwin rural area.
A study by KPMG, on behalf of the government, found that there is demand for seniors’ accommodation in the Darwin rural, Darwin urban and Alice Springs areas.
By supporting private sector development of residential seniors’ accommodation, the government is allowing market forces to determine the most appropriate model for the accommodation and the location in which it should be developed.
Terabit Territory
Darwin is set to take a leading role in international telecommunications across South East Asia.
As Australia’s most northern capital city, Darwin is uniquely placed to become an international hub between Australia’s east coast and major commercial and population centres in neighbouring South East Asia.
Darwin will transform from a gigabit city to a Terabit Territory, and a digital leader in the region through the development of a highly secure, high speed terabit network.
Using existing infrastructure with some additional installations, the terabit network will support the needs of business, government and defence.
This development will build on Darwin’s position as the only Australian capital city with full Fibre to the Premises connection to the National Broadband Network.
Connecting Darwin to Asia
Planned fibre links will connect Darwin and Port Hedland to Kupang, Dili and Singapore providing contemporary high speed, low latency links through South East Asia.
These fibre links are expected to be commissioned in 2020 and be operational by the end of 2022, providing redundant paths for any Darwin installations.
Connecting Darwin to the United States
There is also a planned fibre link which will span the Indo-Pacific regions, providing the first subsea route to directly connecting Darwin, Singapore, Indonesia and the United States.
There are a range of investment opportunities associated with these developments.
The following private sector initiated projects currently have major project status:
Alice Springs Hospital Accommodation – Whittaker Street Developments
Ammaroo Phosphate – Verdant Minerals Limited
Australia ASEAN Power Link – Sun Cable Pty Limited
Berrimah Farm redevelopment (Northcrest) – Halikos Group
Chandler Salt Mine – Tellus Holdings
Jervois Copper-Silver-Gold Project – KGL Resources Limited
Molyhil Tungsten and Molybdenum Project – Thor Mining PLC
Mount Peake Mine and Metals Processing Facility – TNG Limited
Mount Todd Gold Mine – Vista Gold
Nolan’s Bore Rare Earths – Arafura Resources Limited
Petrel Gas Project – Neptune Energy
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