A $5 billion desalination plant mooted for a remote patch of Pilbara coastline has garnered interest from BP.
A $5 billion desalination plant mooted for a remote patch of Pilbara coastline has garnered interest from BP, which is weighing up a globally significant renewable energy play nearby.
The British energy supermajor last week revealed it would scope Ngarluma Water’s planned 150-gigalitre desalination plant at Balla Balla, halfway between Karratha and Port Hedland.
Ngarluma Water is a joint venture between the Ngarluma Aboriginal Corporation and Perth water infrastructure developer Legacie first revealed at the Pilbara Summit in June.
French water and waste giant Suez has flagged interest in the project and Melbourne civil engineer firm Sequana has signed on as project delivery partner.
Legacie chief executive Michael Froud said desalination was crucial for the establishment of green industry projects in the Pilbara.
“This agreement strengthens our collective efforts in enabling multi-user infrastructure that supports regional development while ensuring responsible environmental stewardship,” he said.
“The study will provide valuable information and insight to enabling a multi-user desalination pathway.
“The proposed Ngarluma Water desalination project could provide a sustainable water option that could benefit not only industry, but the broader community.”
Ngarluma Water hopes to have its pipes flowing to the Boodarie and Maitland industrial areas in 2029.
BP, meanwhile, is due to make a final investment decision on its mammoth Australian Renewable Energy Hub north-east of Port Hedland next year.
At 26 gigawatts, AREH is the second largest proposed renewable energy project in Western Australia, behind the 50GW Western Green Energy Hub in Eucla.
Both projects are backed by Intercontinental Energy and CWP Global.
The hydrogen component of AREH would require a new water source to make the green energy product needed for export and to decarbonise local industry.
The Harding Dam is too unreliable as a source of water, the Millstream aquifer is already massively oversubscribed, and demand from the West Canning basin has increased substantially in the past decade.
Filings with the Environmental Protection Authority show AREH’s proponents were planning to build their own 80GL/year desalination plant.
While backing from traditional owners is beneficial, getting a large industrial project off the ground at Balla Balla is not without challenges.
The greenfields site is about 120 kilometres from the nearest town, has little service infrastructure beyond a dirt track, sits right in the middle of WA’s cyclone alley, and would encounter access issues during wet season.
A mid-2010s pitch to build a $6 billion port and rail linked to what is now Red Hawk Mining’s Blacksmith iron ore project fell over in 2023.
If realised, Ngarluma Water would be the sixth, and largest, desalination plant in the Pilbara.
Three are operating for industrial use, Rio Tinto is building a plant in Dampier to supply water for its port operations and surrounding towns, and the state government recently announced it would build a plant in Onslow.
