Environmental process

We can only deliver an environmentally and socially responsible project by engaging with stakeholders at all key phases and conducting comprehensive environmental studies with independent consultants.

Onslow locals know their salt and their local environment, so we have been working with the community since 2016. This includes the local community, environmental and community groups and business associations in Onslow and Exmouth. Along the way, we’ve been transparent in our findings and shared the results of our studies.

Combined with environmental studies, community feedback has informed key project decisions, including relinquishing tenement areas to the south of our project as they had a higher level of interface with the Exmouth Gulf. Once the EPA makes the Environmental Review Document publicly available, we will reach out further to community and industry as part of our commitment to continuous consultation.

Our objective is to minimise the interface with this sensitive environmental area by locating the project as far north as possible, nearer to Onslow.

Environmental approvals

Only when the necessary permits have been granted will K+S make a final decision on whether to build the solar salt production facility.

Our project team has been working closely with the EPA to minimise possible environmental impacts and attain the approvals to progress the Ashburton Salt project to the next phase, construction.

Environmental research

We’re doing things right and planning the project based on environmental research.

We need to understand the region’s climatic conditions and ecosystem interactions so we can assess the environmental risks and design the project accordingly.

Since 2016, K+S has invested more than $10 million in environmental studies. We have continuously used findings from environmental studies to inform the project plans, including reducing the proposed footprint by 30 percent.

The location of the project is outside the mangrove and algal mat zones, with studies demonstrating it is unlikely to negatively impact the ecology of the Exmouth Gulf East wetland and Exmouth East Shore.

The studies have also identified other solutions to significantly lessen environmental impacts, including a comprehensive closure plan (for 2085). This plan highlights that the project is uniquely positioned to support creation of ongoing habitat for algal mat, mangroves and associated fauna.

Key environmental updates include:

• Not locating the project on the sensitive mangrove and algal mat region to the south - and relinquishing permits for those areas

• Project footprint cut of 30% (approved in December 2021)

• Proposed water intake locations cut from two to one (approved December 2021)

• No shipping in the Exmouth Gulf

• No dredging for a shipping channel

• No long-term bitterns storage

• A layout based on science to minimise any possible impacts on nutrient flow to nearby marine areas.

Environmental studies are now complete, the findings have been submitted to the EPA for consideration and the EPA has released the studies and project information, including potential environmental impacts, to the public for comment.

Protecting the Exmouth Gulf

We welcome and support the WA State Government’s plan to strengthen protections for the Exmouth Gulf, including expanded marine parks.

The protections align with the approach taken and planning for the proposed Ashburton Salt project and do not impact the project going forward as it is not located on, or ships in, Exmouth Gulf.

Research partnerships

K+S Salt is committed to building a better understanding of the Pilbara region and its environment.

We have partnered with Curtin University and the University of Western Australia (UWA) on local research projects and have engaged numerous independent consultants to conduct detailed studies to support the approvals process.

The focus of partnerships with Curtin and UWA have been to assess the impact of cyclones and other weather events on water quality and the marine ecosystem, as well as developing a comprehensive historical record of water properties off the Ashburton Coast near Onslow and the neighbouring regions of the Exmouth Gulf.

Report updates

The WA Environmental Protection Authority has now made the Ashburton Salt Project: Environmental Review Document available to the public on its website.

Our Environmental Review Document contains substantial, peer-reviewed data which is the result of seven years’ study into the direct project area, surrounding marine areas and the mangrove areas to the south of the project.