（本报讯）南澳政府正与中国公司进行谈判，希望能赢得数十亿元建设大型港口设施的资金。

　　南澳基础设施厅长克伦（Patrick Conlon）告诉南澳房地产投资委员会（Property Council's Invest SA）称，上个月的中国之行只要是为了解决州府不愿签署建设煤矿出口的码头与私人部门积极寻找资金模式矛盾。

　　克伦称：“我们在中国的主要原因是和愿意与我们合作的公司进行基础设施的对话我们有很多合适选址却苦于没有投资方。我们已经和三个有意合作的公司进行了交流，希望能和他们一同修建一个深海港口。我们迫切地希望在Eyre半岛上修建一个或者两个深海港口，其中的一个可作中短期使用。不过总体的建设资金和投资需要数十亿元甚至上百亿。”克伦对于中国公司的方案饶有兴致，但政府发言人周二称“现在谈细节还有点过早”。

　　南澳的矿业一直在寻求建设深海港，减少从阿德莱德港口（Port Adelaide）的运送费用。Eyre半岛的矿业增长也为该区建设主要出口港口增加了不少筹码。

Government in talks with China to fund Eyre ports

THE State Government is in talks with Chinese firms to fund "billions of dollars" of bulk ports /infrastructure.

Infrastructure Minister Patrick Conlon told the Property Council's Invest SA conference that a trip to China last month was focused on solving an impasse between a State Government not wanting to underwrite new ports to process mining exports and a private sector yet to find a working funding /model.

"The primary reason we were in China was to talk with firms who will become partners in the building of that infrastructure," he /said.

"We have a number of sites but don't have the investment so we spoke to three different firms who are interested in building a deep sea port with Australian partners and ... the associated /townships.

"We have very consciously been working to get at least one, perhaps two, deep sea bulk ports over at Eyre /Peninsula.

Mr Conlon expressed amazement at the breadth of vision outlined by the Chinese firms but a government spokesman yesterday said it was "too early to be talking details".

Mining companies are increasingly looking for deep water ports without the travel costs of exporting from Port /Adelaide.

The growth of mining operations on the Eyre Peninsula - and its proximity to the large miners in South Australia's centre - has raised the prospect of the area serving as a major export /gateway.

IronClad Mining last week announced a compromise - a floating harbour 10km out from Lucky Bay at Cowell to serve as a "half-way point" to load deep sea /vessels.

Flinders Ports and its joint venture partner Leighton Holdings are waiting on the State Government to respond to a proposal to develop a new deep water port at Port Bonython near Whyalla, which would involve building a 3km jetty over two years, requiring 400 /workers.

Iron ore miner Centrex Metals won major development status in January for its proposal to build an iron-ore processing plant and a $150 million deep water port at Sheep Hill, 65km north of Port /Lincoln.