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The world's largest salt company has released environmental studies, which it believes show it should be able to develop a major project within a nationally significant West Australian wetland.
Key points:
- K + S Salt Australia wants to develop a saltworks
- Much of the project falls within the 120,000-hectare Exmouth Gulf East Wetland
- A public environmental review consultation process is open for the next 12 weeks through the EPA
Many Onslow residents welcome the project, but opponents of the long-running K + S Salt Australia project say it poses a critical danger to marine biodiversity in the nearby Exmouth Gulf.
The German company's plan would see saltworks next to the 2,600 square kilometre water body producing 4.7 million tonnes of salt per year.
Managing director Gerrit Gödecke said the project, about 40 kilometres south west from the industrial town of Onslow, would create about 150 direct jobs and 50 indirect roles.
Project footprint 52 times the size of Kings Park
Conservation group Protect Ningaloo wants to see the Ashburton Salt project withdrawn.
Director Paul Gamblin said with a development envelope 52 times the size of Kings Park, the project would have a huge impact on a fragile ecosystem.
"It's Ningaloo's nursery. It's closely connected with the Ningaloo Reef ecosystem," he said.
"It could release highly toxic water, which could impact and actually kill fragile mangrove systems and impact on a range of threatened species as well."
Mr Gödecke rejected the claims and said the project was designed so nutrient flow from over the hinterland, which can happen in floods, would not be blocked.
"I would recommend everybody concerned … to really look at … those studies that are available," he said.
"Same thing with the hypersaline water discharge … there's really a profound body of work that has been done on that and peer-reviewed."
Documents lodged with the WA Environmental Protection Authority show the Ashburton Salt Project has a development area of close to 21,000 hectares — including clearing 10,600 hectares for evaporation ponds.
The proposed ponds fall within the 120,000-hectare Exmouth Gulf East Wetland.
A large proportion of the wetland, 8 kilometres south of the project, is also set to be absorbed into a new national park created within the boundaries of the former Giralia Station.
Project hopes to cater to growing salt demand
Mr Gödecke said WA was a safe environment for investment and had good conditions for solar salt production, a process where sea water floods ponds and is then evaporated.
"The region growing strongest in worldwide salt demand is Asia Pacific in general," he said.
"And with … the market being very logistics dependent, you need to be somehow in the vicinity of your market."
WA produced 12 million tonnes of salt in 2022, which is about 4 per cent of global production and earns the state $4.5 million annually in royalties.
Shire of Ashburton president Kerry White said the local government backed the project, which would be good for Onslow.
"It will mean more people living in Onslow, so we'll get more facilities and sporting teams and grow Onslow, which we're desperately trying to do," she said.
"We've lived with Onslow Salt for years, and it hasn't caused any trouble."
The company also signed a native title agreement with Thalanyji traditional owners in March for the project.
A history of stalled salt projects
The eastern shore of the Exmouth Gulf has been earmarked by the state government for solar salt production since 1970.
But nothing eventuated for years, and the last proposal, the Yannarie Project, was rejected by the EPA in 2010.
This was because the authority thought it was unacceptable to locate the project within a nationally significant wetland, among other serious concerns.
The WA EPA makes a recommendation on whether a project should go ahead, and then the WA Environment Minister makes the final call.
A public environmental review of the project through the EPA will remain open to comment for 12 weeks until September 4.