Salt giant K+S plans $350m Onslow splash

Interesting. Surely they may have potash in their sights as well?

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/31693961/salt-giant-plans-350m-onslow-splash/

Salt giant plans $350m Onslow splash
Peter Klinger  - The West Australian on May 25, 2016, 2:00 pm

German salt giant K+S has unveiled plans for a $350 million operation near Onslow to supply Asian markets with 3.5 million tonnes annually of the chemicals ingredient.

Although K+S stressed today the development process was in its early stages, with a final investment decision not expected until 2019, the company said it was attracted to WA because of the region’s salt production potential and proximity to key Asian growth markets.

The world’s biggest salt producer, with capacity for about 32 million tonnes annually from operations in Europe and South and North America, K+S says it is under represented in the Asian market.

WA would mark the company’s first move into Australia, where it would join other Pilbara salt producers such as Rio Tinto (Dampier and Port Hedland) and Japan’s Mitsui, owner of Onslow Salt.

It would also provide a further boon for the Onslow community, which is being transformed by the Wheatstone and Macedon gas developments on its southern outskirts. The Ashburton Salt project should create 75 full-time locally based jobs.

K+S says the specifics of its Ashburton Salt project are still being fine-tuned.

Although the project has its origins in Straits Resources’ Yannarie salt project, K+S stresses its development will be different in both size and location.

K+S has bought some of Straits’ Yannarie licences but is shifting its focus further north, close to where Chevron is building the Wheatstone LNG plant, where it has acquired further exploration licences.

The development concept revolves around constructing storage ponds, that are flooded with sea water before allowing evaporation to produce salt, a washing plant, stock piles and an export route.

Straits’ plan for the 10mtpa Yannarie was on the Gulf of Exmouth coastline, attracting widespread opposition from fisheries and environmentalists.

K+S says it is mindful of the lessons learnt by Yannarie’s proponents but argues its Ashburton Salt venture will be different, not just because it is much further north to avoid impacting the gulf waters. The salt exports would be via a modest jetty in shallow waters, with the cargo to be transferred to bigger ships out at sea, while there would be no long-term storage of bitterns (the salty water left over).