A Pilbara traditional owner body is pursuing plans to enable up to 5 gigawatts of renewable energy to be built at a new industrial precinct on its country.
A Pilbara traditional owner body is pursuing plans to enable up to 5 gigawatts of renewable energy to be built at a new industrial precinct on its country.
Ngarluma Aboriginal Corporation is proposing a green energy precinct on its native title land around Karratha which would expedite development for proponents wishing to base their projects at the site or sites.
The project has support of the state government, which on Monday handed $2.7m to NAC to undertake surveys and other studies to shore up the business case.
The Aboriginal corporation would essentially act as a landlord for other energy projects.
Land would be subleased, and joint development agreements with solar proponents could be offered.
Woodside and Perdaman are among companies in the region which have proposed projects to decarbonise their industrial plants on the Burrup Peninsula.
NAC’s energy park would align with common-use transmission corridors being pursued by the state government, including APA Group’s proposed Burrup Corridor project.
The corporation has committed to negotiating an Indigenous Land Use Agreement to enable development of such a corridor with the state government.
ILUAs have been a major stumbling block for the state government’s progression of other industrial estates in the region.
Energy and Decarbonisation Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said common-use infrastructure would bolster the region’s transition into renewable energy.
Ngarluma’s energy park is the latest in a suite of ambitious projects the corporation has involved itself in.
Headlining those interests is Legacie Water Infrastructure Developers’ proposed 150-gigalitre desalination plant at Balla Balla which would provide a secure water source to two industrial estates in the Pilbara.
Last year NAC entered discussions with Rio Tinto to potentially develop an 80MW solar farm near Karratha, with an eye to commissioning the plant in 2027.
NAC has also long held to the belief that the stalled $7 billion Anketell deepwater port near Karratha can be developed as a multi-user port.
NAC was contacted for comment.
