THE Port of Ashburton has now been added to the Pilbara Ports Authority portfolio, boosting the organisation’s cargo-handling capacity.
Chevron Australia, along with its project partners, funded the full construction of the state-owned Wheatstone Marine Terminal in the Port of Ashburton under the State Development Agreement for the Wheatstone Project.
Located 12 kilometres south-west of Onslow, the port includes 213 hectares of common-user area, an infrastructure corridor and 250 square kilometres of port waters.
In October 2017, the Wheatstone Project shipped its first LNG cargo, triggering the transfer of the channel and navigation areas to the PPA.
The remaining port infrastructure has now transferred to PPA and is to be redeveloped from a construction support facility to a general cargo port.
The port is to operate as a common-user facility to support trade and industry throughout the region.
Western Australia transport minister Rita Saffioti said the handover was a significant milestone for all parties involved and delivers a substantial piece of transport infrastructure to the state.
“The Port of Ashburton has been designed as a multi-user facility for the export of LNG and other hydrocarbon based products with capacity for the import and export of general cargo, fuel and supply base activities to service offshore operations in the Carnarvon Basin,” she said.
“With the final handover complete, it is expected that other projects and companies will make use of the port which is expected to stimulate further business opportunities and create local jobs in the region, and the nearby town of Onslow.”
The Wheatstone Project is a joint venture between the Australian subsidiaries of Chevron, Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company, Woodside Petroleum and Kyushu Electric Power Company, together with PE Wheatstone, part-owned by JERA.
