DREDGING has started at Lumsden Point in the port of Port Hedland as part of a project to encourage private investment in a landside logistics hub.

Around one million cubic metres of material will be removed over the next eight weeks.

Jan De Nul (Australia) will carry out the dredging and land reclamation with the arrival of the JFJ De Nui cutter suction dredge in Port Hedland in the last week of September.

A report on the Pilbara Ports website said the project also involved construction of two new multi-user berths, and a central access road and service corridor connecting to Great Northern Highway.

The notice said this would enable private sector investment in a landside logistics hub.

The new multi-user facility and logistics hub will facilitate the export of battery metals such as lithium and copper concentrates, the import of renewable energy infrastructure including wind turbines and blades, as well as supporting the growth of direct shipping services to the Pilbara.

The federal government is investing $565 million to support common user port upgrades in the Pilbara, part of which will enable the development of Lumsden Point.

This is in partnership with the Western Australian government, which has committed $96.6 million to the project.

Lumsden Point will support several federal government initiatives, including boosting Australia’s diesel storage program; the Pilbara Hydrogen Hub; critical minerals strategy; and recycling modernisation.

It also supports the WA government’s climate policy, supporting the implementation of clean energy projects including renewable hydrogen, supporting renewable energy production and a future battery and critical minerals industries strategy with the development of lithium and copper projects.

It would also help with the expansion of direct shipping in the state’s north and provide support for the creation of jobs, growing and diversifying the economy and attracting investment.

ACIL Allen estimates that once operational, Lumsden Point will add $22.6 billion in gross domestic product and create an additional 6,204 full-time equivalent jobs across Australia to 2032-33.

The statement said the port expansion will help to position Port Hedland at the forefront of future green industries, helping drive WA’s transition to renewables, unlocking trade and investment opportunities and creating hundreds of new jobs.