The Government of South Australia is backing a new project poised to turn Port Augusta into a national hub for the burgeoning green cement industry, an environmentally-friendly alternative to carbon-intensive cement.
The Government of South Australia has committed a $12 million loan to Hallett Group Pty Ltd to support its $200 million Green Cement Transformation Project, which will redevelop the former Northern Power Station site into a facility focused on producing environmentally sustainable cement alternatives.
The project forms part of a broader transformation underway across the Upper Spencer Gulf, where more than $2.5 billion in energy-related capital investment has been completed or announced since 2016. This helps position the region as a growing centre for clean energy and advanced manufacturing.
Once completed, the transformation project will establish two integrated infrastructure hubs in Port Augusta and Port Adelaide. The facilities will convert industrial by-products into supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), using fly ash sourced from the former Port Augusta power station’s ash dam and slag material from the Nyrstar Port Pirie smelter.
SCMs play a critical role in reducing emissions associated with cement production. By partially replacing traditional clinker (the most carbon-intensive component of cement), SCMs can reduce overall carbon dioxide emissions by up to 30 per cent while improving long-term strength and durability performance in construction applications.
Beyond emissions reduction, the project supports circular economy outcomes by re-using legacy industrial waste streams that would otherwise remain in storage.
The Green Cement Transformation Project is expected to generate approximately 150 construction jobs and create around 50 ongoing operational roles once manufacturing begins. The facility is also anticipated to stimulate additional low-carbon industrial activity across the region; including, carbon dioxide reuse, synthetic fuel production, mineral recovery and potential green lime manufacturing.
Federal government support has also been secured with a contribution of $20 million through the Modern Manufacturing Initiative, reinforcing the project’s role in strengthening sovereign manufacturing capability and supporting national emissions reduction targets.
The development complements a pipeline of renewable energy infrastructure projects underway in the region. Construction is expected to commence shortly on the 270 megawatts (MW) Northern Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), while Potentia Energy’s 225 MW Emeroo BESS is scheduled to begin construction later this year, co-located with the Bungala Solar Farm approximately 15 kilometres northeast of Port Augusta.
Additional renewable generation and storage projects are also proposed, including stage three of the Lincoln Gap Wind Farm and associated battery storage infrastructure.
Collectively, these developments are forecast to deliver more than 1,080 MW of renewable generation capacity and 615 MW of large-scale battery storage.
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