Northern Territory reviews nine proposals for East Coast gas link

Northern Territory has received nine proposals for the development of a gas pipeline connecting the Northern Territory to the East Coast of Australia.

The 1,000 km gas pipeline is expected to be developed on a design, build, own and operate (DBOO) basis.

The nine proposal will now be reviewed during March by an expert panel comprising two private sector members and two senior public servants.

NT Chief Minister Adam Giles stated in naming the panel:

“The North East Gas Interconnector is a critical piece of economic development infrastructure and a priority Major Project for the Territory Government. This is a critical nation-building project with the potential to create jobs and industry growth in the Northern Territory, particularly in regional areas."

“It is estimated that the Territory has more than 200 trillion cubic feet of gas resources in six onshore basins – potentially enough gas to power Australia for more than 200 years and reserves almost 20 times the size of the Ichthys LNG Project. There is also more than 30 trillion cubic feet of gas offshore. This project will help unlock those onshore and offshore gas assets.”

The tender process for the project was launched in November 2014. It is expected that it will finalize during this year.

The private sector members are: Dr Michael Vertigan (Chair), who has over 40 years of experience in both the public sector and at Board level in the financial, investment, energy and infrastructure industries, and Antony Cohen, a Chartered Accountant with over 30 years of experience including as a partner at KPMG advising corporates and governments on strategic direction including extensive industry experience in the energy and utilities sectors.