The NT Independent is providing you with an update of resource news from across the Northern Territory. This week, Glencore’s former McArthur River mine GM takes new role with KGL, a Tiwi Islands green hydrogen project moves ahead and Santos hits a snag with investment from Korea. All this and more in the Resource Wrap.

Rooney appointed as the new KGL operations officer

Steven Rooney was appointed as chief operations officer of KGL Resources Ltd. (KGL).

Rooney, who was formerly the general manager of Glencore’s McArthur River mine, will oversee all site activities from construction to commissioning and operations of the company.

Rooney, an experienced senior officer in both open pit and underground mining environments, has established a reputation of being a highly capable and respected leader, skilled in project building and managing project teams across different technical disciplines.

KGL is set to finalise the feasibility study for the Jervois copper project in the NT and make a final investment decision before yearend. It plans to start the early development works at Jervois this year.

“Rooney is a strong leader with a significant depth of experience in managing all aspects of complex mining operations, and therefore well suited to what we are about to undertake at Jervois,” KGL CEO Simon Finnis said.

GEV to export green hydrogen fuel by 2026

Global Energy Ventures Ltd. (GEV) is advancing the Tiwi H2 export project in the Northern Territory’s (NT) Tiwi Islands as part of its strategy to export its first green hydrogen fuel using its compressed shipping technology by 2026.

GEV is developing green hydrogen completely off-grid using 2.8GW of solar generation through the Tiwi H2 project.

Developments for the project include the establishment of a 30km high voltage transmission line, backup power, desalination, electrolysis, compression and port facilities. This will avoid up to 1.4Mt of carbon dioxide emission per year.

The project is being developed using a phased approach, to produce up to 100,000tpa of hydrogen.

The Australia-based energy transition company is focused on the development of compressed natural gas (CNG) projects using CNG Optimum marine gas transport solutions. It offers compressed shipping solutions for transporting energy to regional markets.

Santos-led Barossa gas project in NT faces uncertainty

The Export-Import Bank of Korea has delayed its financing decision over Santos’s massive Barossa gas project in the Northern Territory (NT) after an Indigenous group of traditional owners launched a legal challenge.

The group is concerned about the pipeline’s proposed route through the protected Oceanic Shoals Marine Park, near the Tiwi Islands northwest of Darwin. They said construction, dredging and increased shipping will disturb sea beds, mangroves and turtle nesting on beaches.

Environment Centre NT said the project will produce about 15 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually, the equivalent of three million passenger cars.

Santos, Australia’s second-largest independent gas producer, okayed the $3.6 billion Barossa offshore development last year, making it the biggest private economic investment in the NT.

The project is expected to produce about 3.7 million tonnes of liquid natural gas (LNG) yearly and provide export revenue and business opportunities in NT. It includes a pipeline from the Barossa gas field in the Timor Sea to an existing LNG facility on Darwin Harbour—planned for an $800 million refit.

Both projects are estimated to generate around 600 jobs during construction and another 350 jobs at Darwin LNG over 20 years.

Elmore ups contract with Territory Minerals

Mining contractor Elmore Ltd (ELE) recently widened the scope and duration of its agreement with Territory Minerals for various projects in Far North Queensland.

The contract, which was limited to 2.5 years or around 1 million tonnes of production has been expanded to see ELE taking accountability for design, licensing and full management of the project. It will also provide a total of $2 million in working capital after licensing and establishing the plant, with operating costs recovered.

ELE’s new ball mill is on schedule to be fully assembled and ready to operate in the Q4 this year as part of Territory projects, along with mobile crushing and screening plant and a flotation circuit (that has yet to be acquired). Once assembled, the mill will be the biggest moveable ball mill in the world.

“Territory Mineral’s Far North Queensland projects represent an ideal opportunity for ELE to showcase how a large moveable process plant can transform a project…into one that could generate a (healthy) return to both the project owners and ELE,” ELE Managing Director David Mendelawitz said.