Rio Tinto to invest in Pilbara desalination plant
June 01 2023 - 6:35PM
Business Wire
Rio Tinto plans to invest $395 million1 in a seawater
desalination plant in the Pilbara, Western Australia, to support
future water supply for the company’s coastal operations and
communities in the region.
The proposed Dampier Seawater Desalination Plant, which remains
subject to Commonwealth and State Government approvals, will be
located within Rio Tinto’s existing iron ore port operations at
Parker Point. It will have an initial nominal capacity of four
gigalitres annually with the potential for this to increase to
eight gigalitres in the future. The project includes construction
of a new supply pipeline to connect to the existing water
network.
Subject to relevant approvals, construction is expected to
commence in 2024 with the facility expected to be operational and
producing water in 2026. At the peak of construction, the project
is expected to support approximately 300 jobs.
Rio Tinto have been engaging with all associated Traditional
Owners and Custodians in relation to the project and would like to
thank the Ngarluma people, on whose Traditional lands the plant
will be constructed, and Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, who
represent the five Traditional Owner groups in the region.
Water from the plant is planned to be transferred to the Water
Corporation-owned and operated West Pilbara Water Supply Scheme,
where it will be distributed to Rio Tinto’s coastal communities and
operations.
The plant will be constructed on previously reclaimed land and
will use reverse osmosis to filter salt and other impurities from
ocean water. It will utilise existing infrastructure at the
company’s Parker Point operations and is near the existing Water
Corporation network, helping to minimise disturbance to the local
environment.
Rio Tinto Iron Ore Chief Executive Simon Trott said, “We know
that water is a scarce resource, particularly in the Pilbara. We
are pleased that this desalination plant will help to secure future
supply for Rio Tinto supplied communities in the West Pilbara as
well as our coastal operations.”
The planned $395 million spend on the plant is included in the
Group’s Sustaining Capital expenditure2.
1 All figures in US dollars unless otherwise noted
2 The Group’s capital expenditure guidance of $9 to $10 billion
in both 2024 and 2025 remains unchanged.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230601005692/en/
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Category: Pilbara
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