Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Ross Baynes from NT Airports says the new fuel storage facility at East Arm is a step closer, and could provide relief at the bowser for Territorians

Transcript

Ross Baynes from NT Airports says the new fuel storage facility at East Arm is a step closer, and could provide relief at the bowser for Territorians · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now we know that the Airport Development Group has confirmed
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: that they're a step closer to commencing construction of a
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: new eighty megaleit diesel storage facility and fuel pipeline to
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: be built at Darwin's East Arm, which is adjacent to
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: the existing Vopak and Crowley facilities. The East Arm location
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: is going to provide direct shipping and truck access. Now
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: joining us on the line to tell us more about
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: the situation is Ross Bains, the Airport Development Group's executive
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: General Manager of Property and Terminal. Good morning to you.
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: Ross, Morning, Katy, Good morning all. Ross.
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: Tell us a little bit more about this facility.
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: So look, it's exciting times again for Dahena and the
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: territory because we're now a step closer to commencing construction
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: of a new eighteen megalita diesel storage facility and fuel
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: pipeline at and adjacent to the existing Vowpack site and
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: the Crowley which is currently under construction.
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: And so Ross, what will it mean in terms of
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: I guess you know at the moment for territory and
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: there's so many people worried about the cost of diesel
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: and the cost of petrol. But what is a diesel
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: storage facility. What's that sort of mean for everyday territorians
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: listening today?
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: Okay, So the facility is open access, so any supply
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: of diesel fuel worldwide can put their product through this facility.
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: So whether it's Coltext, whether it's one of the major
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: players b HP, Viva etc. Or it's a smaller player
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: who wants to put their product through this facility, they'll
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: be able to do so. Up until now they've only
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: had one choice it's Fowpack, So there's a quasi monopoly
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: that Vabat had. Now there's competition in the marketplace, which
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: should god prices down. It is now to be a
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: choice for storage, so the storage cost will be reduced
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: and that should flow through to the bout for everyday territories.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: Geez I reckon, people listening this morning will be pleased
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: to hear this and hoping that it's happening sooner rather
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: than later. But ross, how far off are we from
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: this sort of getting underway?
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: Okay, So the facility we're jointly funded by ourselves, the
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: Airport Development Group in Australian government through the boosting Australia's
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: diesel storage program, and we do thank the Commonwealth Government
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: for their support and providing a grant to get this
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: facility up and going. Now we're now getting into detailed design.
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: They'll go through the planning approval process and the current
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: target is to start on site the next dry in
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: twenty twenty three.
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: Right, so it's not too far off.
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: No, So there's obviously you could appreciate it. This is
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: very technical in this area. So getting the right people
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: in the room, getting the right consultants, for the right designers,
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: et cetera, to get on site, get it all the
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: approvals and get going. And then once we start on
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: site in twenty three, the anticipated construction completion is towards
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: the end of twenty twenty four.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: And ross, what about this pipeline. Where's the pipeline going
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: to go to? And how's that sort of form part
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: of the project.
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: Okay, So the pipeline, it's the service both the civilian
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: and military operations of the Darin Aero drove so diad
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: Are International Airport and of course rat based Darwin. What
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: it does, first and foremost it improves the safety of
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: the delivery of fuel, so we get all these fuel
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: trucks off the road that travel every day twenty four
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: to seven from East arm to the airport, both sides
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: of the airport and were's the improvements in aircraft refueling practices,
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: So this will be an underground pipeline for safety and
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: security or to service and increase the capacity and the
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: speed in which we re fuel planes and Ross.
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: Are there any environmental concerns here because I know, you know,
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: when you talk about the development of a lot of
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: different things, but particularly something like fuel storage facility, there
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: will be some who are quite concerned about any environmental
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: impacts that it may create.
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: Absolutely Katy, and those concerns will be addressed and mitigated
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: where possible. We're very cognizant of that. The last thing
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: we might give them the location is for a fuel
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: spill or one of the tanks to rupture. These will
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: be the current state of the art tanks. They will
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: be into the highest bonded construction that can be possible,
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: So those concerns will be addressed and they'll be mitigated. Ross.
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: When it comes to the construction of these fuel storage tanks,
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: is you know, is this work going to be done
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: by locals and is it going to mean that there's
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: jobs for locals as well, I don't really understand how
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: the fuel storage tanks, you know, like how exactly it
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: works longer term. But is there going to be jobs
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: for locals?
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: Well, absolutely, Katie. As you know with previous discussions we've
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: had something the Airport Development Group is very proud of
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: and in particular focus on DAWAN. Is every building on
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: this airport's being built by local construction companies using local tradesmen.
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: The one proviser I'll put on this provided the technical
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: expertise exists within the territory, and if it does, there
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: will be a territory and builder selected then will be
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: supporting locals.
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: Well, it sounds like it's going to be a good thing,
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: and I think that at this point in time when
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: so many people are worried about the cost of fuel,
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: we've seen a skyrocket and we all understand the reasons why.
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: But if there is different ways that those fuel prices
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: can be brought down, and if it is going to
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: mean that potentially it will bring those prices down, I
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: think most people listening this morning will be quite pleased
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: to hear about this project. Ross Bain's good to speak
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: to you this morning. We appreciate your time.
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you all,