Port Augusta Operations caught off guard by Coalition’s nuclear plans for their land

The owners of the South Australian power station site Peter Dutton wants to turn nuclear say they’ve got other plans for their land.

The company that owns the Port Augusta site where Peter Dutton wants to build a nuclear power station says it has heard nothing from the Liberal Party about its plans and is continuing with its $100 million redevelopment of the area.

Port Augusta Operations director John Fullerton said Wednesday’s announcement had come as a surprise to the company.

“The first thing is that we’ve had no dialogue whatsoever with anyone on this topic at all,’’ Mr Fullerton said.

“We’re busy with our plans and to take advantage of the opportunities that really are becoming available in the northern part of South Australia.’’

Federal Opposition leader Peter Dutton with Angus Taylor and Sussan Ley on Wednesday. Picture: NewsWire/Nikki Short

Port Augusta Operations director John Fullerton. Picture: Supplied

Port Augusta Operations owns freehold the 1100 hectare site where the Port Augusta Power Station stood before it closed down in 2016.

Mr Fullerton said the company was now well advanced with its plans to redevelop the area into a minerals processing and logistics hub.

It is building its Port Playford facility to export iron ore and has plans to build a minerals processing plant to concentrate iron ore magnetite and possibly green steel production.

“We expect to invest over $100 million in that site,’’ he said.

TELL US WHY IN THE COMMENTS

“We are optimistic over the next three to five years, we will progressively build infrastructure that ultimately leads to the final objective of having a well-established mineral processing facility and export capability, and also allowing additional mining operations to be opened up in the northern part of the state.’’

On Wednesday, Liberal leader Mr Dutton nominated seven sites around Australia where a nuclear power plant could be built, including the location where the Port Augusta power station used to stand. Mr Fullerton said the company also already had two tenants on the site. One is South Australian company Hallet, which is using flyash left over from the power station era to make green cement.

A lease has also been signed with a rail company that will lease part of the land and will rehabilitate a rail siding that was part of the old power station.

Mr Fullerton said the site was ideally located as it was connected to the main Australian Rail Track Corporation rail line as well as Highway One, which circumnavigates Australia.

“We just think it’s such a great location to take advantage of all those opportunities.

“It is well located, it’s on the ARTC network, it’s on Highway One that connects us to every other state in Australia and importantly Port Playford is a port where we can export product overseas.’’

Originally published as Port Augusta Operations caught off guard by Coalition’s nuclear plans for their land