‘Angry’. That is how South Australia’s energy minister has described his feelings towards Sanjeev Gupta, the owner of Whyalla steelworks operator GFG Alliance. The anger has been fuelled by news the company has stood down hundreds of workers at an interstate mine, and reports Mr Gupta plans to spend big on upgrades to his Sydney mansion. Tom Koutsantonis says the government’s patience is running out.
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00:00An energy project that's getting off the ground, with construction of a 240 megawatt
00:07battery being built near Mannum.
00:09Enough to support around 50,000 South Australian homes with energy on a daily basis.
00:17But there's growing doubts over plans for green energy and a hydrogen plant for Waiala.
00:22With news the town's Steelworks owner, GFG Alliance, is facing issues at its mine in
00:27New South Wales.
00:29Bills go unpaid and another mine is putting care and maintenance.
00:34Look, we are getting very concerned.
00:37Hundreds of workers at Tarmore Mine have been stood down for four weeks with pay due to
00:42unpaid suppliers.
00:43A concerning development after the Premier told Parliament this week GFG Alliance owes
00:48tens of millions of dollars to the state government and a similar amount to contractors.
00:54We want partners to reinvest in our plant.
00:57If Mr Gupta's priority is an apartment in Sydney, go do that and let someone else invest
01:03in Waiala.
01:04It's been a tough week for Waiala as the government this week raised concerns over
01:08building a hydrogen plant to sell to a Steelworks under GFG Alliance.
01:13Labor's hydrogen vanity project, they decided to go hand in glove with this guy and his
01:19company.
01:20So it's now up to Labor to unscramble that egg.
01:22No country can call itself sovereign if you can't make your own steel.
01:27We are going to make our own steel and if Mr Gupta won't do it, we'll find someone else
01:30who will.
01:31Another promise for Waiala, a town already grappling with a series of setbacks at its
01:36Steelworks and mine.
01:38In a statement, GFG says it's expecting to return to normal production soon at Tarmore
01:42Colliery in New South Wales.
01:45It says it's ramping up to full production in Waiala and working with its partners as
01:49it navigates challenges.