The potential for a desalination plant near Port Germein, in South Australia’s Upper Spencer Gulf, has been flagged at a resources investment conference in Adelaide this week.
The Braemar Iron Alliance, which is made up of eight iron ore explorers from South Australia and New South Wales, is looking at infrastructure investments for its planned projects south and west of Broken Hill.
Alliance spokesman Andrew Woskett says the need for a desal plant would, however, be five to 10 years away.
“But a desal plant would be the most technically and financially sensible option because it would avoid the need to draw down on the Great Artesian Basin,” he said.
“So as there is a desal plant proposed at Point Lowly for Olympic Dam’s expansion, so too could there be a desal plant proposed on the other side of the Gulf.”
Meanwhile, the alliance says its planned projects between Broken Hill and South Australia’s mid-north need more than $7 billion in infrastructure investment.
It says this would include the water, power, rail and port infrastructure needed to support any mining proposals in the region.
However, Mr Woskett says the State Government needs to put more time and money into ensuring the plans go ahead.
“We know at the end of the day, the bulk of, if not 100 per cent of the finance, is going to have to come from the private sector,” he said.
“We’re not going to sit around and wait for governments to make up their mind because if we do, we’ll miss the boat, literally, and the opportunity will be lost.”
