New $63M timber plant in the pipeline for SA

Construction starts on SA’s $63 million Timberlink plant — The NeXTimber facililty will be Australia’s first combined Cross Laminated Timber and Glue Laminated Timber manufacturing plant. Image courtesy of Timberlink.

Construction has started on a $63 timber plant at Tarpeena in South Australia, which will support the state’s timber manufacturing industry and create local jobs.

Timberlink’s NeXTimber facililty will be Australia’s first combined Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and Glue Laminated Timber (GLT) manufacturing plant.

The facility is expected to create more than 180 jobs during construction and will significantly increase Australian production capability, reducing the need to import products from overseas

Timberlink’s NeXTimber products provide carbon negative mass timber solutions for building components. These products enable a reduction in the embodied carbon in a range of building types.

Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development David Basham said the combined manufacturing plant will boost local timber production and provide an alternative for steel and concrete in mid and high-rise construction.

“Timberlink’s new state-of-the-art manufacturing plant at Tarpeena will be a game-changer for South Australia’s timber industry and it’s very exciting to see construction now underway,” Basham said.

“The new manufacturing plant will provide a commercially viable and carbon-friendly alternative to steel and concrete for construction which is a win-win for South Australia.”

The project is being supported by a $2 million investment from the South Australian Government’s Regional Growth Fund.

Through the Regional Growth Fund, the State Government is committing $160 million over 10 years to support regional South Australia to unlock new economic activities and deliver economic infrastructure to create direct benefit across regional industries.

The plant is scheduled to open in 2023.