Mid West DevelopmentGeraldton Port has recently been upgraded to assist in the exporting opportunities of a range of iron ore projects in the Mid West that will add to economic development in the region. Beyond this upgrade, the State Government has committed to the development of the deep water Oakajee Port and associated industrial precinct to the north of Geraldton. Oakajee is essential for the expansion of the iron ore industry as it will facilitate the loading of larger size ships for transporting iron ore and iron ore concentrates. The Mid West Development Commission (MWDC) has identified $6.5billion in new resource projects under consideration or development in the Mid West region. The iron ore sector accounts for the majority of these projects with three direct shipping projects already in production, another four under consideration and three very large magnetite concentrate projects also proposed. Magnetite concentrate projects involve fine grinding of large quantities of hard magnetite ores which is power intensive. The power requirements of the magnetite projects alone is estimated at over 600MW. Other projects within the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) network include existing mineral sands, base metals operations and two new mineral sands developments at Cataby and Dongara. Total power requirements for these projects are estimated at 100MW. Residential and commercial development is accelerating in Geraldton as the city responds to the demand for labour and services. Residential developments totalling 13,000 lots are currently in the pipeline for Geraldton, and commercial developments in progress include office buildings, retail complexes, supermarkets and industrial facilities. Economic development in the Mid West region will require substantial electrical energy and Coolimba Power will be key to unlocking the growth potential of the region. Importantly, Coolimba Power will support both the SWIS and the new and existing resource projects in the Mid West region.   |
