Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Provaris Managing Director Martin Carolan says a green hydrogen project planned for the Tiwi Islands will support 100 jobs

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Provaris Managing Director Martin Carolan says a green hydrogen project planned for the Tiwi Islands will support 100 jobs · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: As you may have heard, an export green hydrogen project
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: on the Tewii Islands has been given major project status
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: by the Northern Territory government. Now Provarus is a four
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: point five billion dollar Tewe hydrogen project and has the
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: potential to be a first well the first mover in
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: the world's transition from fossil fuels to zero carbon energy.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Now joining me to explain the project is the managing director,
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Martin Caroline. Good morning to you, Martin.
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Lovely to have you on the show. Now, Martin, can
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  Speaker 1: you explain what the project involves.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, thanks for the request this morning. So the t
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: re HS two projects is essentially proposed to be a
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: green hydrogen production and export project. It will be located
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: on Novel I, as you know, part of the Tilts.
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: So to do that, the proposals to build a two
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: point on a kig of solar farm. There's a thirty
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: k transmission line down to the existing port Novel precinct
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: where there's an existing court which will be then use
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: to develop and produce a hydrogen for export to the
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: Asia Pacific markets.
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  Speaker 1: And how is it going to I mean, I guess
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  Speaker 1: the big question that a lot of people will be wondering.
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  Speaker 1: You've said the Asia and Pacific markets, but you know,
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: how will that hydrogen be used and potentially by who?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so the proximity of the two ons and the
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  Speaker 2: Northern Territory in general is the closest export point to
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: the key markets. The one that we've got our eyes
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  Speaker 2: on is Singapore. So there are new sort of power
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: generational requirements for new industries in Singapore which require in
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: extensive power and the government there has decided that that
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: should be generated using green green energy. So one format
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: of that is either to have a grid connection through
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  Speaker 2: renewable power or the second one is to use hydrogen
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: as a gas to fuel that power generation. So it know,
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  Speaker 2: the benefits of hydrogen is that when it is consumed,
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  Speaker 2: it produces no CO two and literally just a water vapor.
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  Speaker 2: So it's very environments environmentally sensitive and also helps the
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  Speaker 2: countries to move towards their kind of zero net zero targets.
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: And Martin, what are the potentials here for the Northern Territory.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so the government has you work with us and
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: we've clearly identified key benefits and long long term sustainable benefits.
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  Speaker 2: So from from a job's creation point of view, We've
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  Speaker 2: identified a workforce during a three year construction period where
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: it could peak as many as five five hundred jobs.
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: But long term, you know, the key here is to
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  Speaker 2: develop long term skills and benefits. So it's at least
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: one hundred jobs expected during operations. They would be varied
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: from senior technical managers to senior technical positions running across
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  Speaker 2: the solid generation and electronicis and production right through technical
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  Speaker 2: jobs and support support services. So a wonderful array of jobs.
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: And the long term atus this is proposed to be
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  Speaker 2: a thirty year production asset, So that's.
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: Right, So thirty years. And with those jobs, I mean,
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  Speaker 1: are they going to be local jobs or are we
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: talking about a five fo you know workforce here?
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: Well, I think I think the priority would always be
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  Speaker 2: to look at local content, local resources, So there will
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: be some key resources during the construction period and then
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: those skills will be transitioned to the longer term locals.
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: But as we say, you know, one hundred people long term,
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: the preference would be to have them localize in do
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: and indeed you try and skill the employees into the
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: local TV community as well.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, and is there going to be quite a
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  Speaker 1: focus on working with those local traditional owners.
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so today we've had we've had good relationships with
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: the Tibi Land Council and the monoply nutritional owners. We've
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: got permissions to do the fees of billity level activities.
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: So far we will continue to work with them and
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: not be traditional landowners and the Twey Land Council as
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  Speaker 2: we progress, and ideally that you know, we're creating your
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: local jobs for the community, so at various levels and stages.
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: So you know, I think we would look in at
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  Speaker 2: in the near term to start building your technical skills
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  Speaker 2: and transition those skills in time for the commencement of
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: construction and again in time for operational roles.
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: And when you talk about the major project status, it
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: was obviously awarded by the Northern Territory government a little
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  Speaker 1: bit earlier this week. What does that mean and you know,
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  Speaker 1: what are the next steps from your perspective.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, a major project status is the government recognizing the
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: significance and long term benefits to the territory and also
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: we're paying your recognition to the two E people. What
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  Speaker 2: that does is kind of streamlines and align the environmental
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: and permitting process. It doesn't guarantee the outcome of anything,
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: but it does ensure that we have access to the
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: relevant resources, so that's that's key. The company has a
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  Speaker 2: lodged with the NTEPA, a thraw submission that's our kind
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: of application that's currently under public disclosure, and the closers
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: in early October. So then then from there we would
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: look at our final investment decision late twenty twenty three,
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  Speaker 2: so there's still a number of kind of feasibility level
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: studies and activities to go on, and then construction is
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: targeted to commence in twenty twenty four over two phases,
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  Speaker 2: with first operations in early twenty twenty seven, so still
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  Speaker 2: in some way to go, but clearly the ant major
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  Speaker 2: projects status is important as we want to look to
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  Speaker 2: entract international investment which would then be able to assist
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  Speaker 2: within the financing and the future development and then facilitate
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  Speaker 2: these jobs.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Marsham, we appreciate your time this morning and appreciate
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: you giving us a bit further detail about the project.
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: Thank you very much. Thanks Courtin, thanks for your time.