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Mining billionaire Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest has withdrawn from a bid to purchase Australia's largest sheep station with the goal of turning it into a green energy hub.
Mr Forrest's Fortescue Metals Group first indicated its intention to acquire the 1-million-hectare Rawlinna Station, 1000km east of Perth, on the Nullarbor Plain, in April 2023.
The company – via its subsidiary Fortescue Future Industries – had planned to generate renewable energy on the historic station, which spans an area roughly the size of Sydney.
But now, about 18 months later, the ABC can reveal that FMG has walked away from the sale.
Rawlinna is one of the country's biggest shearing operations. (ABC News: Jarrod Lucas)
In a statement, a Fortescue spokesperson cited "extended delays" in ministerial approval as cause for the decision to withdraw.
"We have been waiting for ministerial approval of the transfer for 11 months," the spokesperson said.
"With policy ambiguity remaining regarding government approval, we have chosen to withdraw from the sale of Rawlinna, which was always a long-term energy opportunity for Fortescue."
Mining magnate Andrew Forrest has already bought other stations in WA to generate renewable energy. (ABC News: Andrew O'Connor)
A state government spokesperson said applications for "significant areas of land" were complex and required "rigorous assessments".
They said the Land Administration Act required the state government to be "satisfied the transfer would not result in a concentration of control of pastoral land as to be against the public interest".
"The decision by the applicant to withdraw the application for consent was a matter determined by them," the spokesperson said.
Rawlinna Station's parent company, Jumbuck Pastoral, has been contacted for comment.
What's next for Rawlinna?
Established in the 1960s, Rawlinna is one of Australia's most iconic sheep stations.
But questions now surround its future.
Rawlinna Station covers an area roughly the size of Sydney. (Jarrod Lucas, ABC Goldfields-Esperance)
In an online newsletter posted in July 2023, Jumbuck Pastoral said Rawlinna had been "sold to Fortescue Future Industries".
Fortescue said withdrawing from the sale provided "certainty" to the Rawlinna workforce, many of whom were evacuated earlier this year after record-breaking rainfall on the Nullarbor.
Fortescue said it remained committed to "long-term green energy opportunities" in the Nullarbor and south-east WA "via alternative arrangements".