BCI Minerals gets green light for Australia’s largest ever salt project

BCI Minerals (ASX: BCI) announced that it has transitioned to full-scale operations at its Mardie salt and potash project. This now marks the Pilbara as the home of the world’s third-largest salt project.

This follows approval from the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water on the projects updated Groundwater Monitoring and Management Plan (GMMP).

The project, located 80km south-west of Karratha in WA, is the first salt operation Australia has seen in nearly three decades and has an expected operation life of 60 years.

The Mardie project is anticipated to produce more than 5.35mt of industrial salt annually, making it the largest salt project Australia has ever seen.

It is projected to contribute nearly $5b to GDP and create over 1,000 jobs in the region.

BCI managing director David Boshoff said the government approvals marked a new era in Australia’s salt production sector.

“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.

The project is also expected to be Australia’s first salt project to recycle bitterns from the salt operation to produce sulphate of potash (SOP).

SOP production aligns with the long-standing objective of the WA Government for the resource sector to include downstream processing and value-adding.

“I’m incredibly thankful for all those who have helped us achieve this milestone,” said Mr Boshoff.

“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.”

The project’s production is driven by the evaporation process, with more than 99% of its salt production energy requirement being met by solar and wind.