NT Government investigates vital infrastructure corridor

A potential infrastructure corridor is being investigated between Tennant Creek and Darwin in the Northern Territory that will enable the continued development of the region. 

This proposed corridor will provide pipelines for future services such as gas, water, communications and other utilities that could help facilitate the growth of the Northern Territory’s gas industry as well as support the development of other projects along this corridor. 

“This is an early planning and investigation phase as part of a long-term project to support growth across multiple sectors in the Territory economy, including natural gas, hydrogen energy and digital infrastructure,” Minister for Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics Eva Lawler said. 

Through a prefeasibility study, a preliminary corridor alignment has been identified, taking into account engineering, environmental, social and infrastructure considerations. This alignment is still subject to further refinement and development during the consultation with stakeholders. 

The next step for this development will include further investigations of the preliminary alignment to confirm is constructability along with targeted discussions with key stakeholders – including landowners directly affected by the project, Native Title holders, AAPA and Land Councils. 

“The aim of consultation is to engage stakeholders in detail about the proposed corridor, environmental considerations and to better understand its potential impacts on land use,” Minister Lawler said. 

The Territory Government acknowledges that landowners are in the best position to give information regarding their properties. 

The consultation period will encourage input about the proposed infrastructure corridor, and it could also help in identifying the constraints that need to be considered for project planning. 

Public information events are going to be held by the Northern Territory Government following the initial consultation stage, with drop-in sessions in Tennant Creek, Katherine, Adelaide River and Greater Darwin. 

The Territory Government will also work closely with the Aboriginal Area Protection Authority and Land Councils to understand the potential impacts of the proposed infrastructure corridor on Aboriginal sacred sites and land. 

The proposed infrastructure corridor could contain several products and services, including multiple high-pressure pipelines and services such as water electricity and communications. 

“Designing multiple infrastructures within the same corridor will provide opportunities for the Territory’s hydrogen energy, oil and digital infrastructure industry participants to efficiently transport products to commercial markets. This is intended to reduce the impacts of having multiple corridors for the different services that will be needed. 

“This proposal has the potential to not only link the regions with key infrastructure but also to provide long-term, sustainable jobs for regional Territorians,” Minister Lawler said. 

Source: Northern Territory Government Newsroom; Northern Territory Government – Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics; Infrastructure Magazine