Posted yesterday at 6:49pmFri 12 Sep 2014, 6:49pm PHOTO: The proposed site of the deepwater port at Anketell, 30 km east of Karratha. RELATED STORY: Anketell Port plan unveiled by WA Government RELATED STORY: Chamber of minerals welcomes Anketell Port master plan RELATED STORY: Native title agreement struck for major Pilbara port MAP: Karratha 6714
A deal to build a $7 billion port and rail complex in Western Australia's Pilbara, which could become the biggest port in Australia, has been signed off.
The West Pilbara Iron Ore Project will include a deep-water port at Anketell and a new railway network.
Australian transport and logistics company Aurizon will have exclusive rights to develop the infrastructure, with the first exports planned for 2017.
The project is being backed by China's Baosteel Resources, Korea's POSCO and American Metals and Coal International.
Karratha Mayor Peter Long said the deal indicated that China still wanted WA's iron ore.
"We actually met with the Baosteel senior management in China only a week ago and we got a very, very positive response there, " he said.
"We're excited for the development of our city and also the state as a whole, we think it'll be a great project.
"It'll mean there's a lot more jobs, it will give a great boost to the local economy that's been sagging a bit with the end of the construction boom [and] it will probably mean an increase in property prices again."
The multi-user, multi-commodity deepwater port has the potential to be the biggest port in Australia.
The State Government had proposed it be built on greenfields land about 30 kilometres east of Karratha, and it was expected to boast an eventual export capacity of more than 350 million tonnes a year.
It would be more than double the total exports through the nearby Dampier Port and 20 per cent larger than shipments at Port Hedland, which is Australia's biggest export facility.
Access to port space has long been an issue for companies in the Pilbara, particularly smaller iron ore miners.
The development planned to provide services for multiple users and will include an industrial area near Karratha.
PHOTO: The proposed site of the deepwater port at Anketell, 30 km east of Karratha.
