Mid West iron ore producers Murchison Metals and Midwest Corporation will be forced to change the route of their proposed railway project after the state government confirmed that the site for a $2 billion radio telescope has been changed.
Mid West iron ore producers Murchison Metals and Midwest Corporation will be forced to change the route of their proposed railway project after the state government confirmed that the site for a $2 billion radio telescope has been changed.
As foreshadowed in last week’s WA Business News, the Square Kilometre Array radio astronomy project will be moved to a site at Boolardy station, north-east of Geraldton and 90km west of the original site at Mileura station.
Making the announcement this week, Premier Alan Carpenter said the main reason behind the move was to ensure that the new site received all the scientific advantages and did not disadvantage mining companies.
“We wanted to make sure that [SKA project] was not jeopardised by the new mining industry that is developing in the Mid West and the mining industry wasn’t jeopardised by this project,” Mr Carpenter said.
WA Business News understands that trucking activity associated with Murchison Metals’ Jack Hills project had adversely affected the original site, by compromising the radio quiet conditions that are needed.
The new location will force Murchison and Midwest to rethink their rail plans, since the preferred rail route they unveiled last December intersects the 70km buffer for the radio telescope.
The proposed rail line would link the planned deepwater port at Oakajee, north of Geraldton, to large-scale iron ore mining projects in the hinterland.
Unlisted company Yilgarn Infrastructure has already factored in the new SKA site into its alternative proposed railway, which runs to the south of the ‘radio quiet’ zone
WA Business News contacted Murchison Metals about the confirmation of the new SKA site but the company declined to comment.
Shadow science minister Barry House claimed the government had jeopardised WA’s chances of winning the SKA project by approving Murchison Metals’ mining road.
“The lobbying of Brian Burke and Julian Grill, as well as the former Resources Minister John Bowler, resulted in the construction of a mining road right through this radio quiet area,” Mr House said.
The premier stated that the mining industry could have been adversely affected by the SKA project, but after discussions with the scientific community and mining companies they determined that moving the project was in the interests of both parties.
Australia is one of two short-listed regions, along with southern Africa, that is short-listed for the international project.
Mr Carpenter said that both the federal and state governments were keen to see the project proceed in WA, with a decision to be made in 2010.
“The potential problems that we previously encountered can now be set aside,” he said.
“The outcome will be better not worse.”
One of the premier’s research fellows, Professor Peter Quinn, said the SKA project would see the development of a radio telescope that would be 50 times bigger and have 10,000 times the information gathering power than current radio astronomy facilities.
“WA will become a focal point for radio astronomers and scientists from across the globe,” Professor Quinn said.
