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Small business briefed on prawn farm project opportunities

Rourke WalshThe Kimberley Echo
Wednesday, 29 August 2018 4:48PMRourke Walsh

Black tiger prawns will be bred in the North West.
The company behind a bold plan to build the world’s biggest prawn farm north-east of Kununurra has revealed it hopes to start more preliminary work on upgrading access roads to the project as early as next month.

In a recent briefing to Kununurra businesses hoping to cash-in on the economic boost the $1.5 billion project is expected to deliver for the town, Seafarms revealed new rock collection and crushing was expected to start in September.

Project Sea Dragon executive director Chris Mitchell said the crushed rocks would be used to improve the access road to the project site, about 110km from Kununurra, and as a base at its temporary accommodation village.

Mr Mitchell said prospective contractors were also told at the briefing of the cultural obligations they would be expected to follow during any work as part of the indigenous land-use agreement signed with local Aboriginal people.



“The message we have been getting from contractors is to try and give them a good heads-up and as much advanced notice as possible,” he said.

“We were trying to do that while also explaining that the project has not reached a financial close. The company is intending to do some early works prior to financial close.

“Those packages of work were outlined at the briefing. The first was to get material together, to get rock and do rock crushing, and then use that rock to start the process of improving the access roads.

“The next thing we would like to get is get a hard stand done for the temporary accommodation village. That is an area that is cleared with crushed rock as a base.”

Mr Mitchell said the company hoped to have the finance required to get the project a final green light in time for the start of next dry season.

“We certainly are driving as hard as we can for a big start in the dry next year,” he said.

“You then put the construction village in place, continue the process of upgrading the roads and begin to prepare the ground for the inlet structure.

“There is actually quite a list of work packages that are being put together for the project’s start.” Project Sea Dragon will create 10,000ha of black tiger prawn ponds at Legune Station in the Northern Territory. It is expected to produce 100,000 tonnes of black tiger prawns a year for export and become one of the world’s biggest aquaculture projects.

The construction of a processing plant on Weaber Plain Road is expected to create up to 90 short-term jobs and 122 long-term positions once production starts.

Kununurra Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Jill Williams said it was heartening to see the company engaging with local business.

“The chamber is very supportive of Seafarms, it is a great project for the region and town,” she said.