News
Record jobs and sales in WA’s resources sector
W
estern Australia's resources industry experienced record sales of $172 billion in the 2019-20 financial year, according to statistics released by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety. Iron ore sales reached a record $103 billion on increased output and an eightyear price high. Gold sales also soared to an all-time high of almost $16 billion, with prices averaging more than $2,300 per ounce. Mineral exploration expenditure hit
$1.7 billion, an increase of 17 per cent from $1.4 billion in 2018-19. Oil sales increased to $2.6 billion on higher volumes, despite lower prices across the first half of 2020, while nickel sales recovered to more than $3.1 billion, a four-year high. A record average of 135,000 people were employed in the resources sector during 2019-20, up from 128,374 the previous year. Iron ore and nickel construction activities accounted for most of the growth, while exploration
$98 million graphite processing facility planned for Rockingham
R
ockingham is set to house a multi-million-dollar downstream processing facility supporting Western Australia’s growing battery minerals industry, with the signing of an agreement between DevelopmentWA and EcoGraf. The demand for battery minerals in electric vehicles and battery storage systems has created an exciting opportunity for Western Australia, which has the fourth largest reserves of graphite in the world. EcoGraf has signed an option to lease on two lots in the Rockingham Strategic Industrial Area (SIA), with plans to develop a graphite processing facility in two stages. The development, occupying 6.7 hectares, is expected to commence construction in mid-2021 and create up
14
WATM • December 2020
to 200 construction jobs and 75 ongoing operational jobs once complete. WA-based EcoGraf owns a patented state-of-the-art, eco-friendly graphite purification process, catering to strong demand in global markets for environmentally responsible battery-grade spherical graphite. Production capacity for Stage 1 of the proposed Rockingham facility is 5,000 tons of battery-grade spherical graphite per annum, increasing to 20,000 tons per annum with the completion of Stage 2. Rockingham SIA was chosen as the site of the proposed facility due to its existing infrastructure, access to global markets, and recent lithium developments and related activity in the Rockingham-Kwinana region.
employment also increased 12 per cent. Almost $19 billion was invested in WA's resources sector, up from $17 billion in 2018-19. This represents the first year-on-year increase in mining and petroleum investment since the 2012-13 iron ore and LNG boom. There are currently more than $100 billion worth of projects in the pipeline. For more information, visit http://dmp. wa.gov.au/About-Us-Careers/LatestStatistics-Release-4081.aspx
WA Premier Mark McGowan said, “The allocation of this prime industrial land to EcoGraf supports the State Government's Future Battery Industry Strategy, which aims to grow this emerging sector in WA and transform it into a significant source of economic development, diversification, jobs and skills. “Importantly, this proposed multi-milliondollar investment comes just two months after the opening of Alloy Road unlocked new strategic industrial land. This is another demonstration of the great work done by the Industrial Lands Authority facilitate to industry growth and investment in WA.”
