Land in the Pilbara has been allocated to seven companies, including Posco, BP, Fortescue and Tees Valley Lithium, hoping to build $70 billion of projects.
The state government today announced its industrial lands panel has approved land allocation within the Boodarie and Ashburton North Strategic Industrial Areas (SIA).
Posco, Fortescue Metals Group, Alinta Energy, Tees Valley Lithium and BP Australia were chosen as proponents for the land allocated in the Boodarie SIA, which covers 4,000 hectares.
In August, Tees Valley Lithium announced a plan to build a lithium sulphate plant in Port Hedland to feed into its lithium hydroxide plant in Teesside in the UK.
Tees Valley Lithium is a subsidiary of Alkemy Capital Investments, which is estimated to be worth £20 million GBP according to market data.
Proponents allocated to the Ashburton SIA were announced as Equus Energy, a subsidiary of Western Gas Corporation, and Fortescue Future Industries.
Western Gas executive director Will Barker said securing the land in the Ashburton North SIA was a key step in harnessing the region's resources of natural gas, solar and wind energy.
The Ashburton projects would focus on ammonia and methanol production, with the Boodarie developments to support production of green iron ore, ammonia, hydrogen, and lithium sulphate monohydrate.
The proposed total capital expenditure of the seven companies involved is believed to be valued at $70 billion.
State Development, Jobs and Trade Minister Roger Cook said the land allocations approval would help transform the Boodarie and Ashburton sites into globally competitive and multi-product precincts.
“From job creation to growing the local advanced manufacturing industry and servicing international markets, we will see the economic benefits of these land allocations and these projects flow through the WA economy over time," he said.
The Ashburton North SIA is 12 kilometres south of the Onslow town site, while the Boodarie SIA is about 4 kilometres west of South Hedland and 12 kilometres south of Port Hedland.
“This is a major boost for regional WA, in particular towns like Onslow, South Hedland and Port Hedland with these projects to create and support a number of local jobs while strengthening and diversifying the WA economy,” Lands Minister John Carey said.
