After a five-year environmental assessment process, Western Australian Environment Minister John Day has approved the proposed port expansion, which will include dredging as well as the infrastructure required to build Grange Resources’ proposed Southdown magnetite mine in Wellstead.
Albany Port Authority Chief Executive Brad Williamson said “Receiving the state ministerial approval for the port expansion is the final environmental approval required for the project to proceed, as Commonwealth approval has been granted earlier.”
“The port continues to work with the Southdown project owners on their pre-feasibility study before a final investment decision is made,” Mr Williamson said.
Mr Day issued a set of legally binding environmental conditions for the port to achieve if the project proceeds.
At the Southdown magnetite mine to be located approximately 90 km from Albany, magnetite concentrate will be pumped as slurry approximately 100 km to a concentrate storage facility at the Port of Albany, before being loaded on to capsize vessels and shipped to an iron ore pellet plant to be located in Malaysia.
Filtered water recovered from the slurry will be pumped back to the mine site for re-use in the concentrator, via a return water pipeline buried beside the slurry pipeline.
