K+S Salt Australia scraps Exmouth Gulf solar salt project plans
The world's largest salt company has withdrawn its near decade-long plan for a major industrial development in a nationally significant wetland on Western Australia's Pilbara coast.
K+S Salt Australia, a subsidiary of the German potash giant, announced on Thursday it would no longer pursue its Ashburton Salt proposal before the Environmental Protection Authority.
The company had sought approval to construct a solar salt project on the eastern shore of the Exmouth Gulf, 40 kilometres south-west of Onslow and 1,400km north of Perth.
In a statement, K+S said the shifting "strategic direction" of its parent company away from international salt production was behind the backflip.
It denied the decision was made for reasons related to environmental management, after a conservation campaign against the project in the company's home country of Germany.
"K+S remains confident the Ashburton Salt project could have been developed into one of the world's most environmentally sound solar salt projects," K+S Managing Director Gerrit Gödecke said.
First proposed in 2016, the saltworks was slated to produce 4.7 million tonnes annually.
The plan included a 21,000-hectare saltworks bordering the Exmouth Gulf — a nationally significant wetland.
While there was opposition in Exmouth, across the gulf in Onslow there was support for the project which promised to employ residents and boost the town's economy.
Shire of Ashburton councillor Kerry White, who represents Onslow, said the loss of 150 direct and 50 indirect jobs attached to the proposal would be keenly felt.
"It's not good news for the shire or the town," she said.
Cr White said the economic development would have been "tremendous" with the additional traffic through the airport and retail stores.
"The flow-on effect would have been fantastic," she said.
"It's devastating."
But with other major resources projects and infrastructure in town, Onslow Chamber of Commerce and Industry vice-president Rachel Easton was more bullish about a future without K+S.
"It was going to be a bonus to the town if it did [happen], but Onslow is going strong," she said.
Since it was first proposed, environmental groups have criticised the development due to its proximity to the Exmouth Gulf and concerns about the potential impact on marine life.
Marine ecologist and Oceanwise Australia director Ben Fitzpatrick said the proposal was bound to struggle given the special significance of the Exmouth Gulf.
"In the Pilbara, that sort of wetland is quite unique … and in fact the Exmouth Gulf is one of the largest intact examples of that type of ecosystem in the world," he said.
The independent researcher said while it had taken almost a decade for K+S to withdraw its plans, it was a sign the environmental approval process was effective.
"We've got salt mines, salt evaporative ponds, operations that have been implemented at locations just to the north of there … [some] were put in a very long time ago before some of this legislation and these requirements," Dr Fitzpatrick said.
"You don't want to be eroding away ecosystems that are essentially world heritage value ecosystems.
The wetlands are a haven for endangered migrating birds and a globally significant nursery for rare rays and sawfish.
The Australian Marine Conservation Society chief executive Paul Gamblin said the Exmouth Gulf was no place for industrial development.
"It's not just us who are saying this is important," he said.
"The era of consideration is absolutely over and we need to get on with protecting a place which is showing enormous stress from climate change already."
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