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At least $30bn will be spent building a construction yard to eventually build nuclear submarines for Australia under the Aukus<\/a> agreement, despite doubts over the deal.<\/p>\n The prime minister, Anthony Albanese<\/a>, announced on Sunday the federal government had pledged $3.9bn as a \u201cdown payment\u201d to secure the future of the submarine construction yard in the northern Adelaide suburb of Osborne.<\/p>\n The government hopes the project will create 10,000 jobs in design and construction, as well as up to 1,000 apprentices a year at an onsite training facility.<\/p>\n Sign up: AU Breaking News email<\/sub><\/a><\/p>\n The staggering cost of the facility is laid bare by the sheer size of the footprint being designed.<\/p>\n Enough steel to make 17 Eiffel towers, as well as 710,000 cubic metres of structural concrete, will be used in the construction of the 420 metre-long fabrication hall.<\/p>\n The future of Aukus has been under a cloud<\/a> for months since the US announced it would review the terms<\/a> of the agreement.<\/p>\n But the prime minister dismissed concerns that the promised shipyard would never see an Aukus vessel.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is in the interests of the United States, in the interests of the UK and in the interests of Australia,\u201d Albanese said on Sunday.<\/p>\n The $30bn price tag comes from an estimate provided by Australian Naval Infrastructure, the government\u2019s hand-picked company tasked with delivering the Aukus facility.<\/p>\n As well as construction, the new yard will include capability for the testing and commission of the submarines.<\/p>\n An estimate for how long the yard would take to complete or whether the $30bn figure will increase was not confirmed.<\/p>\n