BCI Minerals’ Mardie Salt and Potash Project, located 80 kilometres southwest of Karratha in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, has officially begun operations after receiving final approval from the Commonwealth government.
This landmark project is poised to become the third-largest solar salt operation globally and the largest in Australia.
The Mardie Project, which represents a $1.4 billion investment, will have the capacity to produce 5.35 million tonnes of high-quality industrial salt annually for export to international markets.
This salt, with a purity of over 99.5 per cent NaCl, has applications in various industries, including glass manufacturing, water purification, and building materials.
The project is expected to make a significant economic contribution to the region:
- Creation of 750 jobs during the construction phase
- 140 permanent, full-time positions once fully operational
- Projected contribution of nearly $5 billion to the national GDP over the next 60 years
Construction of the Mardie Project began in February 2022 and has already reached the halfway point, with over $700 million invested to date.
The Mardie Project stands out for its sustainability credentials:
- 99 per cent of the energy required for salt and sulphate of potash production will be derived from solar and wind sources
- Utilises an inexhaustible seawater resource and solar evaporation process
A new port facility at the Mardie site, featuring a 2.4-kilometre jetty, will facilitate efficient export operations.
The project will employ transhipment services to load ocean-going vessels up to Newcastlemax size, ensuring direct and cost-effective access to key markets.
BCI Minerals has commenced filling the first three evaporation pools and expects to begin shipping salt in late 2027.
In addition to salt production, the project will also yield 140,000 tonnes per annum of sulphate of potash (SOP), a high-value fertiliser.
David Boshoff, BCI’s managing director, emphasised the project’s significance: “Australia hasn’t developed a salt project of this significance in 25 years.
The Mardie Project will be Australia’s largest solar salt project and the third largest globally.”
As Western Australia positions itself as a major player in the global salt market, the Mardie Project is set to contribute significantly to the economic diversification of the Pilbara region and strengthen the state’s role as a clean energy powerhouse.
