Western Australia and Northern Territory (WANT) Cotton is in discussions with interested parties for the project management and ongoing management of Katherine's cotton gin, which is set to become the region's first commercial cotton gin once construction is completed by the end of July.
WANT Cotton said it had upgraded the construction plans for the gin since it was first announced in July 2021.
The facility will now be able to process up to 60 cotton bales per hour, with two new twelve foot gin stands, twelve-foot feeders, and lint cleaners together with other improvements.
This translates to an increased processing capacity of more than 150,000 bales over a six-month ginning period.
The gin is able to be further upgraded to include a third gin stand which would increase capacity to over 200,000 bales.
David Connolly, Chairman of WANT Cotton and General Manager of the Tipperary Group of Stations said the expansion was "a considered decision" to increase the gin capacity plans "to anticipate and meet the future cotton production needs of the region".
"We believe it is the right decision to help growers scale up their production and not be hindered by ginning capacity limitations," Mr Connolly said.
