Key Highlights
- Australia’s first salt project in over three decades transitions to full-scale operations
- Western Australian and Commonwealth Governments approve updated Groundwater Monitoring and Management Plan (GMMP)
- Mardie Project to produce 5.35 million tonnes of industrial salt each year, making it the largest salt project in Australia and the third largest globally
BCI Minerals (BCI) has transitioned into full-scale operations at its Mardie Salt and Potash Project, positioning the Pilbara as home to the world’s third-largest salt project.
The latest approval from the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) for the Mardie Project’s updated Groundwater Monitoring and Management Plan (GMMP) enables all ponds to be filled and commissioning of the first crystallisers.
The evaporation process drives production, with over 99 per cent of salt production energy requirements coming from the sun and wind.
With this approval, and an innovative pond-filling strategy, seawater will fill the ponds from both the south and north of the project footprint. All ponds are expected to reach full capacity ahead of the 2025/26 summer – an important milestone in optimising salt production.
The Mardie Project is Australia’s first salt operation in nearly three decades and offers multi-generational benefits for the Pilbara region over an operation life of 60 years and will contribute more than $4.8 billion to GDP and create more than 1,000 jobs.
The Mardie Project is also expected to be the first Australian salt project to recycle the bitterns from the salt operation to produce Sulphate of Potash (SOP). The production of SOP aligns with the Western Australian Government’s long-standing objective for the resources industry to include downstream processing and value-adding.
BCI Managing Director David Boshoff said the approvals marked the beginning of a new era in Australia’s salt production.
“We’re the newest salt producer, bringing the latest technology to produce a commodity that is essential in manufacturing thousands of products used in everyday life,” he said.
“I’m incredibly thankful to all those who have helped us achieve this milestone. Together, we’ve paved the way for a world-class salt operation to come online, bringing multigenerational benefits to Australia.
“Through our multi-user Cape Preston West Port and our strategic location on the Pilbara coast, we will have a competitive advantage to deliver premium industrial salt to key Asian markets.”
“We will continue to actively monitor the shifting global trade landscape to identify any arising opportunities to expand our presence in new markets.”
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